▲ Lin Yu-Yeon 0002, a Chinese fishing boat operating with the Korean flag
It has been confirmed that Chinese fishing boats were operating in North Korean territorial waters with Taegeukgi.
The UN sees it as an action to hide illegal trade in fishing rights with the North Korean authorities.
According to an expert panel report released by the United Nations Sanctions Committee on North Korea on the 31st of the local time, in October last year, a 1,800 ton-class fishing vessel,'Rin Yu-yeon 0002', operated in North Korea's territorial waters.
The fishing boat, with all 13 crew members identified as Chinese, had a national flag and a Chinese flag hoisted together.
According to the relevant laws and regulations, Korean ships must have their name displayed in Korean with an identifiable size on the surface, but it was confirmed that there was no Korean mark on Lin Yu-yeon and no Korean entry/departure records.
The UN believes that a Chinese fishing boat that bought fishing rights from North Korea wore the Taegeukgi flag to hide it from the international community.
Since the UN Security Council banned the purchase of fishing rights from North Korea in 2017, fishing in North Korean territorial waters in any form is a violation of sanctions.
(Photo = Capture of the UN Sanctions Committee's Report, Yonhap News)