Russian border guards injured in clash with N. Korean poachers

By AFP

Published : Sept. 18, 2019 - 08:53

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MOSCOW (AFP) -- Three Russian coast guards were injured Tuesday in a clash with North Korean fishing boats in the East Sea, after which 80 fishermen were detained, Russia's FSB security service said.

The FSB security service, which controls the border and coast guard, said in a statement that guards observed two fishing vessels and 11 motor boats while on duty in Russian waters of the Eas Sea.

The larger boat's crew attacked coast guard officers who boarded the vessel, and three officers "received injuries of varying degrees of severity," the FSB said.

Both vessels were eventually detained.

(Yonhap)

"Two fishing vessels and over 80 North Korean citizens were detained," the FSB told TASS news agency. "Activities of North Korean poachers has been thwarted".

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the North Korean charge d'affaires over the incident, expressing "serious concern," it said in a statement.

"We demanded the Korean side to take exhaustive measures with the goal of preventing such incidents in the future," it said.

Russian coast guards frequently detain North Korean fishermen in the Far East, many of whom use rudimentary wooden boats. Some of them are sentenced to prison.

There are frequent disputes over fishing rights in the East Sea that is surrounded by Japan, Russia and both North and South Korea.

In July, North Korea released a Russian fishing boat with a crew of 15 Russians and two South Koreans after it was detained for violating entry regulations. (AFP)

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Russian border guards injured in clash with N. Korean poachers

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