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China sells salmon raised in Yellow Sea structures, raising concerns about their possible dismantlement

Published: 15 Jan. 2026, 18:40

SEO JI-EUN
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Chinese personnel are visible on a structure installed by Beijing in the Korea-China Provisional Maritime Zone in this undated photo released by Rep. Yi Byeong-jin of the ruling Democratic Party on Oct. 22, 2025. [YONHAP]

Salmon raised in structures installed by Beijing within a jointly managed maritime zone with Korea are now being sold in mainland China, fueling concerns in Seoul that Beijing may reject dismantling the structures under the guise of aquaculture operations.

Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it had been monitoring China's salmon sales through multiple channels.

Local media reported that the fish, advertised online as “salmon raised in a deep-sea aquaculture test zone in the cold waters of the Yellow Sea at 35 degrees north latitude,” have been available in the Chinese market since last year.

The coordinates match the site of China’s unilaterally installed Shenlan No. 1 and No. 2 platforms, erected in 2018 and 2024, respectively, inside the Korea-China Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ).

The PMZ in the Yellow Sea is a jointly managed area where the exclusive economic zones of Korea and China overlap.

The revelation comes just days after the Korea-China summit on Jan. 5, which had raised hopes of progress on the longstanding Yellow Sea dispute.

The reports have raised concerns that Chinese authorities may cite the salmon sales as proof that Shenlan No. 1 and No. 2 are fish farms and thus not subject to removal.

Seoul has repeatedly expressed concern that the platforms — and a separate semi-fixed structure resembling an oil rig that was installed by Beijing in 2022 — could be repurposed for military or territorial purposes. President Lee Jae Myung said after the summit that Beijing claimed the installations were “truly just fish farms.”

Despite those assurances, the Blue House said the two sides reached a tentative understanding during the summit to begin by removing the structure resembling an oil rig, which Beijing claims is a management facility for the other two structures. But it remains unclear whether Beijing will follow through.

“The government has been aware of developments surrounding the sale of salmon produced in the [Yellow] Sea structures through various channels,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Based on the understanding shared between the leaders [during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit] in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, and [the most recent summit in] China, they have held working-level consultations on the [Yellow] Sea structures and will continue constructive talks to make further headway.”

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]