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Seoul Rebuffs Tokyo's Protest in Fishing Row
In response to the official complaint from Japan to South Korean fishing boats' entering waters off the Kuril Islands, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of South Korea said on Thursday that the matter is strictly a commercial issue and that Korea is not undermining the position of either Japan or Russia regarding their territorial dispute over the Islands.
The ministry went on to say that S. Korea has been making efforts to resolve the issue through consultations between the foreign affairs and maritime affairs authorities on both sides at the Japanese government's request and that S. Korea is willing to continue negotiating with Japan.
Twenty-six S. Korean fishing boats are currently catching mackerel in waters off the east coast of the islands and are moving north without interference from Japan or Russia.
If the weather conditions and the sea temperature remain suitable for mackerel fishing, the boats will be able to catch 15,000 tons of fish a month before November 15, the deadline set by the Russian authorities.
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