South Korea has expressed concern over a maritime structure built by China off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, reports "Reuters", citing a statement from the South Korean Foreign Ministry, News.bg reports.
The concern was officially expressed during the maritime dialogue between the two countries, held on April 23 in Seoul. The meeting was attended by Kang Young-shin, South Korea's deputy director-general for Northeast Asian affairs, and Hong Liang, China's director-general for border and ocean affairs, as well as other officials.
According to the Chinese side, the facility is a fishing facility and has no connection to territorial claims. However, the structure is located in a disputed area of the Yellow Sea (called the West Sea in South Korea) where the two countries' exclusive economic zones overlap - a fact that has raised concerns in Seoul about Beijing's possible territorial ambitions.
However, the two sides agreed that the issue should not hinder bilateral relations and expressed their willingness to continue communication and cooperation. The South Korean Foreign Ministry statement stressed that “through diplomatic channels at various levels, it was decided to closely discuss the stable management of the maritime order in the West Sea and expand practical cooperation.”
On April 23, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul told a parliamentary committee that the government was considering its response, including proportionate countermeasures.
A month earlier, the Chinese embassy in Seoul said that the structure was within Chinese territorial waters and complied with both international law and the bilateral fisheries agreement between the two countries.