The government expressed regret over the structures installed by China in the Yellow Sea without permission, but China repeatedly maintained its position that they are aquaculture facilities and unrelated to territorial claims.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 24th, the issue of China's structures in the Yellow Sea was addressed during the third maritime cooperation dialogue held in Seoul the day before between South Korea and China. China installed deep-sea aquaculture facilities, named the Seonran No. 1 (2018) and Seonran No. 2 (2024), in the provisional measures area where the two countries' 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zones (EEZs) overlap. In 2022, it also built structures in the form of oil drilling facilities, claiming they were management facilities. There have been persistent concerns that this indicates China's intent to expand its influence and assert territorial claims in the Yellow Sea.
Kang Young-shin, the chief representative of South Korea, conveyed the government's deep concerns regarding China's structures in the Yellow Sea. He also emphasized that South Korea's lawful and legitimate maritime interests should not be violated. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Chinese side explained that the facilities are purely for aquaculture purposes and unrelated to territorial claims or maritime boundary issues.
South Korea and China agreed to establish the 'Marine Order Subcommittee' under the maritime cooperation dialogue to address conflict issues such as structures in the Yellow Sea and illegal fishing, and the 'Practical Cooperation Subcommittee' to address cooperation issues such as joint juvenile releases and search and rescue, continuing their communication.
The South Korea-China maritime cooperation dialogue was established in December 2019 through an agreement between the foreign ministers of both countries. The first meeting was held in April 2021, followed by the second meeting in June of the following year. The two countries are also scheduled to hold the fourth maritime cooperation dialogue in China.