The South Korean military said Friday it will resume a crackdown on Chinese fishing boats illegally operating near the tension-high inter-Korean sea border in the West Sea.
The operation to start this weekend comes at the outset of the peak crab-catching season.
A Chinese fishing ship is caught by South Korea's Coast Guard for illegal operation in the West Sea in this file photo provided by the Coast Guard. (Yonhap)
Defense officials here said they are reviewing whether to inform North Korea of the plan through the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission, which oversees the armistice between the two Koreas.
The two sides are technically in a state of war as their 1950-53 conflict ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.
The North has reacted sensitively to the South's military operations close to the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border on the peninsula.
More than 30 soldiers equipped with rigid inflatable boats will be mobilized for the crackdown aimed at protecting the interests of South Korean fishermen and reducing the possibility of accidental skirmishes, a military official said on the condition of anonymity.
At times, patrol ships of the South's Coast Guard approach the NLL, trying to drive away unauthorized Chinese fishing vessels.
The South's military carried out similar operations there last year in partnership with the Coast Guard and the UN Command during the crab-catching season. It gave a prior notice to the North. (Yonhap)