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PRESS RELEASE


UN/U.S. Military in South Korea Threatens Chinese Fishing Boats

June 11, 2016 (EIRNS)—In yet another move which begs to create a spark towards escalation, the UN Command (UNC) in South Korea, for the first time, took joint military action with South Korea’s Navy against Chinese fishing boats in the so-called "neutral territory" where the Han River empties into the Yellow Sea. The joint patrol chased the Chinese ships out of the area this past week, but, according to Yonhap, quoting an unnamed official, the military patrols "have been authorized to use force against Chinese fishing boats if they do not comply with an initial verbal warning to leave." They also report that "South Korea will have warships and choppers standing nearby to be deployed in the event of any skirmishes that could take place with North Korea in the process of the crackdown operations."

A UN Command statement said that U.S. Army "Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, UNC commander, in accordance with his responsibilities under the Armistice Agreement, authorized the UNC operation to enforce restrictions on fishermen in the Han River Estuary."

Under the armistice signed after the Korean War, neither Korean nor foreign ships are allowed to sail in the area unless officially registered with the military armistice commissions of either South or North Korea.

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