BEIJING: North Korea detained a Chinese fishing boat on September 12 and demanded a fine for its release, Chinese media reported yesterday, apparently the first such move in more than a year.
The owner of the boat said he received a phone call, apparently from the North Korean coast guard, two days later and was told that his boat and crew had been detained for fishing in North Korean waters.
The North Koreans demanded a fine of 250,000 yuan for releasing the boat and its crew, but on September 17th the six crew returned to their fishing village with wounds from being beaten, the newspaper said. Their wallets and belts had been stolen.
“The crew insist that their boat did not enter North Korean waters, not to mention crossing the line for fishing,” Zhang Xikai, the fishing boat owner, was quoted as saying. “They were conducting normal operations within Chinese waters when they were hijacked by North Korean personnel with guns and dragged into North Korean waters by force.”
China’s foreign ministry confirmed it was aware of the boat’s seizure and the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang on Monday made representations to the North Korean government, the newspaper said. Reuters
