One Coast Guard officer killed in raid on illegal Chinese fishing

INCHEON, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- One South Korean Coast Guard commando was killed and another was injured in stabbings by Chinese sailors caught for fishing illegally in the Yellow Sea off Incheon, west of Seoul, Monday, the Coast Guard said. The 41-year-old corporal surnamed Lee, who was stabbed by glass fragments wielded by a Chinese fisherman during the Coast Guard's raid on the ship in waters about 85 kilometers off Socheong Island around 7:00 a.m., died after being rushed to a hospital in Incheon, the Coast Guard said. The other officer, identified only as a 33-year-old Lee, sustained an injury to his stomach and was undergoing treatment at the same Incheon hospital, it noted. The attacks occurred while the commandos scuffled with the Chinese sailors to gain control of the vessel in the waters off the Yellow Sea island near the maritime border with North Korea. The Coast Guard said it seized the Chinese fishing ship and nine sailors on board. A frequent flow of Chinese fishing ships has prompted the Coast Guard to stay on standby to fight illegal fishing attempts in South Korean waters. (END)