South Korea has deployed a floating platform in a disputed area of the Yellow Sea, known in Seoul as the West Sea, in response to China’s increasing construction of structures in the region, Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung announced on Wednesday.
The move comes as concerns grow in South Korea over China’s activities in the Provisional Maritime Zone, where the two nations’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. While Beijing asserts that its structures are part of fish farming operations, Seoul views them as a potential effort to stake territorial claims.
Kang informed parliament that the newly established platform is intended for environmental monitoring. “South Korea has taken reciprocal measures with a large-scale floating object,” he stated.
Tensions escalated in February when a South Korean research vessel attempting to survey the Chinese structures was intercepted by Chinese coast guard ships and civilian-manned rubber boats. A standoff ensued, with the South Korean coast guard also intervening before ultimately withdrawing.
Lawmakers from South Korea’s ruling People Power Party condemned China’s presence in the disputed waters as a “direct challenge to marine security” and called for stronger action. Kwon Young-se, chairman of the party’s emergency response committee, compared China’s actions to its territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea.
“The West Sea is not just a sea; it is Korea,” he said, emphasizing the economic and security significance of the area for South Korean fishermen.
In response, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Seoul dismissed concerns, stating that reports about the structures were inaccurate and that they do not violate any agreements. “These are deep-sea fishery aquaculture facilities within China’s coastal waters and represent a reasonable use of offshore marine resources,” the spokesperson said.
China has maintained diplomatic communication with South Korea on maritime disputes and hopes to “avoid unwarranted politicization of the matter,” the statement added. The developments highlight the growing geopolitical and economic complexities surrounding maritime resource management in the Yellow Sea.
