North Korea tries to sell fishing rights to Taiwan / 韓媒:傳北韓有意 對台出售漁業捕撈權　　　　　　　　　　

On Oct 14, South Korean media announced that North Korea wants to sell fishing rights in its exclusive economic marine zone. Taiwan's fishing industry confirmed the rumors, but felt that North Korea's situation was too uncertain and so did not take any action. The Fisheries Department also made clear that Taiwan cooperates with the UN Security Council on sanctions to North Korea and bans any fishery cooperation. South Korean media reported that North Korea planned to sell its exclusive marine zone fishing rights to Taiwan to raise funds for the government. Taiwan fishermen also confirmed that two or three years ago, North Korea agents had approached them and asked them if they were interested in fishing in North Korea's waters. Now this story is again circulating. ==CHEN WEN-CHIN Sec-Gen., Keelung Area Fishery Association== On and off we've had people come up with this news, that North Korea is a bit special and wants to sell its fishing rights, but where exactly these are and how big they are, what the catch in the area is, are all points that need to be understood first before there is any business. In 2010 North Korea sold fishing rights in it's eastern marine zone and in 2014 sold fishing rights, including those of South Korea, to China. Due to sanctions imposed by the European Union, the US and the United Nations, its government is rapidly running out of funds and this year it has expanded sales. North Korea has a US$1 billion deficit in foreign exchange so it is selling fishing rights. However the Taiwan Council of Agriculture Fisheries Agency cooperates with the United Nations resolution on sanctions against North Korea and has long expressly prohibited any fishing cooperation with North Korea. ==HUANG HUNG-YEN Dep. Dir-Gen., COA Fisheries Agency== Even if the other country is willing, even if the people concerned are willing, we have to look at whether we agree. This is obviously a case that we are not prepared to agree to. Taiwan's fishing industry generally reckons that North Korea's fishing grounds are new for them, but as North Korea is a totalitarian state, it's fishing fees, supply stations and fishing methods are all unclear and no-one dares to take the initiative, but North Korean fishermen have been employed in Taiwan for many years. ==LIN CHING-ZONG Chair, Pingtung Tung Kang Fishermen's Association== Yes, yes, we have businesses here that have North Korean fishing workers, they mostly go abroad to fish, their boats go to other countries to fish. It is rumored that a dozen large Taiwan fishing vessels operate in the East China Sea off North Korea. The Fisheries Agency has denied this, and further stressed that if fishing vessels operated illegally, their fishing licenses would be revoked for at least a year. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 南韓媒體，在14號報導，北韓最近，有意向台灣，出售專屬「經濟海域」的漁業捕撈權。而台灣、漁業界，也證實有傳聞，但認為北韓的「不確定性」太多，並沒有冒然行動。漁業署也明令，台灣配合、聯合國安理會，制裁北韓決議，禁止雙方、漁業合作。 有南韓媒體報導，北韓打算出售專屬經濟海域的捕撈權給台灣，藉以籌措政府資金，台灣地方漁會也證實，兩三年前就有代理商，曾來詢問漁民赴北韓捕魚的意願，近來這消息又廣為流傳。 ==基隆區漁會總幹事 陳文欽== 陸陸續續都有人來講這個消息 但是北韓這個國家 是比較一個特殊的國家 它釋出漁權 到底它的範圍在哪裡 有多大 是出產什麼東西 這相對很多東西 都必須先去了解以後 才有辦法去作業 北韓2010年曾賣過東海捕魚權、2014年將包含南韓海域的部分捕魚權賣給中國，今年更擴大銷售，由於北韓受歐美和聯合國禁運制裁，政府資金快速減少，外匯出現10億美元缺口，才會拋售漁權，但漁業署配合聯合國制裁行動，早已明文禁止雙方進行漁業合作。 ==漁業署副署長 黃鴻燕== 即使對方國家同意 即使當事人同意 我們也要看情況能不能同意 那這個案子顯然是 我們不準備同意 不會同意 台灣漁業界普遍認為，北韓漁場確實是處女地，但因為北韓是極權國家，包括入漁費，補給站，捕魚方式都不確定，沒有人敢冒然行動，但台灣雇用北韓漁工，卻行之有年。 ==屏東東港區漁會理事長 林清崇== 有有有 我們東港的業者 也是有人用(北韓漁工) 他們都是出國抓的比較多 開船都是開到國外去的比較多 外傳有幾十艘台灣大型遠洋漁船在北韓東海作業，漁業署已否認，也強調漁船一旦違法，輕則收回漁業執照一年，重則會撤銷漁業執照。 記者 李曉儒 郭俊麟 台北報導