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Koreans skeptical as Chinese envoy repeats claim that Yellow Sea structures are for fisheries

Published: 25 Mar. 2025, 18:33 Updated: 25 Mar. 2025, 19:07

SEO JI-EUN
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Rep. Na Kyung-won of the conservative People Power Party delivers opening remarks Tuesday at a policy forum addressing China’s installation of steel structures in the Korea-China Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow Sea at the National Assembly in western Seoul. [NEWS1]

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing reiterated that the steel structures installed by Beijing in the Korea-China Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) of the Yellow Sea are “for aquaculture,” a claim that is fueling growing skepticism in Seoul over the feasibility of resolving the issue through international legal means.

The remarks were revealed Tuesday by Prof. Nam Sung-wook of North Korean Studies at Korea University, who met with Dai for more than two hours the previous day.

Korean, Chinese coast guards face off in disputed Yellow Sea zone

“Ambassador Dai emphasized three times that the structures are intended for aquaculture," Nam said at a policy forum hosted by Rep. Na Kyung-won of the conservative People Power Party at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. "But based on our conversation, I believe a resolution through international law will be difficult.”

The Korean government announced last week that China had unilaterally installed three large steel structures in the PMZ near Ieodo, a submerged rock in disputed waters, and had aggressively blocked a Korean research vessel attempting to inspect one of the installations in late February.

Seoul lodged a diplomatic protest shortly thereafter and summoned an official from the Chinese Embassy.

A senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters Tuesday that the structures were not installed under the Korea-China Fisheries Agreement, adding, “the government cannot make a hasty judgment on matters related to Korea’s maritime rights in the Yellow Sea.”

The Yellow Sea PMZ, jointly managed by Korea and China due to overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs), permits only fishing-related activities.

Analysts warn that China’s actions may go beyond fisheries, suggesting that the placement of the structures may be related to a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

“If you draw a straight line from these structures toward the Korean Peninsula, it reaches Mokpo, Muan and even Pyeongtaek,” Nam said. “Targeting Pyeongtaek seems aimed at restricting the operational range of U.S. Forces Korea during a Taiwan contingency.”

Nam also expressed skepticism over the effectiveness of international law in curbing China’s actions, urging Korea to consider “building counter-structures” as a strategic response.

Kim Doo-young, former deputy registrar of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos), projected that if China installs 12 structures in a four-by-three grid, each 70 meters in diameter and spaced 1 kilometer apart, over 12 kilometers of sea could be effectively blocked.

“This would make it virtually impossible for Korean fishing or research vessels to enter the area,” Kim said, cautioning that the situation could eventually evolve into a legal dispute under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Lawmakers from the defense committee of the conservative People Power Party hold a press conference Tuesday at the National Assembly in western Seoul condemning China’s installation of unauthorized steel structures in the Yellow Sea. [NEWS1]

The controversy sparked rare bipartisan unity in Korea’s National Assembly, with both conservative and liberal lawmakers condemning China’s actions and demanding immediate action.

Rep. Na introduced a resolution to defend sovereignty in the Yellow Sea, characterizing China’s behavior as violating international law and calling for the immediate removal of the structures.

“What China is doing — installing artificial structures in disputed waters and blocking access — is a gangster-style tactic used in the South and East China Seas,” she said. “It’s clear they are now trying to turn the Yellow Sea into a gray zone to support their territorial claims.”

Democratic Party (DP) spokesperson Park Kyung-mee echoed the concerns, expressing “strong regret” over what she described as China’s “seed-planting for maritime conflict.”

She urged Beijing to cease construction immediately and cooperate with Korea’s inspection efforts, warning that the trust built over 33 years of diplomatic ties was at risk.

Kim Byung-joo, a member of the DP's supreme council and parliamentary National Defense Committee, also called China’s unilateral actions a “direct threat to Korea’s maritime sovereignty” that could escalate into “a serious national security issue.”

“The DP will not stand idly by," Rep. Kim said in a Facebook post. "The National Assembly must investigate the situation and, if necessary, conduct an on-site inspection.”

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]