Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has drawn concern and derision from opposition parties for his recent remarks that if elected, he would instruct the military to fire upon and destroy illegal Chinese fishing boats, which have become a headache for South Korean fishermen in the West Sea.
In an interview with local newspaper Segye Ilbo, Tuesday, Lee said that Korea needs to crack down strictly on the illegal activities of North Korean or Chinese fishing boats in the East Sea and West Sea of South Korea, respectively.
Lee’s hardline stance on illegal Chinese fishing boats is not entirely new, as he made similar remarks, though more indirectly, in late December when he visited the Korea Coast Guard’s West Sea Special Security Unit in Incheon’s Jung District. At the time, Lee mentioned Indonesia’s crackdowns on illegal fishing boasts, including cases of capturing and sinking, to argue that South Korea should also take stern measures on the matter of Chinese boats.
Lee directly addressing the need to sink illegal fishing boats during the Segye Ilbo interview is widely seen as an attempt to appeal to voters, as anti-China sentiment among South Koreans has been rising, following controversies over biased judging during the Winter Games.
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