Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded capital punishment for the captain of a Chinese fishing boat accused of killing a South Korean law enforcement officer during a crackdown on illegal fishing last year.
The 43-year-old captain, Cheng Dawei, was indicted in January on charges of stabbing Coast Guard Cpl. Lee Cheong-ho to death with a knife and seriously injuring another officer during a Dec. 12 raid on Chinese vessels illegally fishing in waters off Incheon, west of Seoul.
The Incheon District Prosecutor's Office also sought a two- to three-year prison term and a 20 million won (US$17,738) fine for each of the eight sailors aboard the fishing boat Luwenyu as well as another Chinese captain on a nearby vessel, all of whom have been accused of obstructing government affairs, such as blocking the Coast Guard officers from conducting the raid operation, officials said.
The sentencing trial is scheduled for April 19.
The fishermen were traveling 87 kilometers southwest of Socheong Island in the Yellow Sea in South Korea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), when they were confronted by the Coast Guard unit.
Cheng admitted to the murder after his arrest in December.
The Coast Guard captured or sent back more than 470 Chinese fishing ships in 2011, as these vessels illegally cross into South Korean waters every year in search of anchovies, blue crabs and croakers, which are abundant in local waters. (Yonhap News)
