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the West Sea, it has been confirmed that China has secretly installed oil drilling structures in the waters where the boundary between Korea and China has not yet been defined, that is, in the provisional zone of action.

The Korean government held a National Security Council meeting to discuss countermeasures.



Reporter Jun-mo Moon was the sole reporter.



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On the 14th of last month, the fishing guidance ship Mugunghwa, which was patrolling the West Sea, discovered a suspicious structure.



As a result of the confirmation, it was a mobile oil drilling structure installed by the Chinese side.



It is located in the Korea-China Provisional Measure Zone in the western sea of ​​Block 2, where the exclusive economic zones of the two countries overlap, and the boundary line is reserved for which country the water is.



Under the Korea-China Fisheries Agreement, development of underground resources or installation of facilities is prohibited except for fishing activities.



In 2005, the Korean government attempted to drill for oil off the coast of Gunsan, but it was stopped due to opposition from China.



China, which had been quiet since then, resumed its activities in the interim zone for the first time in 14 years.



The government saw that the matter was not simple and raised the subject of discussion from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to the Blue House National Security Council (NSC).



Then, on the 5th, this agenda was brought up at the NSC working-level coordination meeting and discussion took place.



A high-ranking government official said that China's intention was not only for the economic purpose of oil, but also to gain an upper hand in the dispute over maritime sovereignty.



[Kim Hyun-soo/Professor, Graduate School of Law, Inha University: Since maritime boundaries have not yet been established in the West Sea, I think they are doing this to occupy a preemptive position, similar to a vested interest when agreeing to a maritime boundary agreement.]



To avoid getting caught up in this

Experts advise that we need to express our protests clearly to the Chinese government and obtain promises to prevent a recurrence.



(Video coverage: Joo Beom·Lee Yong-han, Video editing: Choi Hye-young, CG: Lee Jong-jeong·Seo Seung-hyeon)



▶ China is trying to dig for oil in the provisional waters…

The government is concerned about the level of response