East Asia is beset by maritime disputes and the various paramilitary agencies have been involved in incidents, occasionally violent, that have created ill will.
The worst-case scenario in which an incident at sea involving paramilitaries becomes a diplomatic issue and worsens relations to the point of conflict may not seem likely.
At 87 km southwest of Socheng Island and 120 miles west of Incheon near the border with North Korea, nine Chinese crew men were violently resisting South Korean coast guardsmen.
The captain of the Chinese boat then stabbed two Incheon-based coast guardsmen with a piece of glass from a shattered cabin window.
[1] The South Korean coast guard seized the Chinese ships and its crew detaining them in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul.In Seoul, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Suk-hwan summoned the Chinese ambassador, Zhang Xinsen (张鑫森) make a statement about illegal fishing and the fisherman's use of violence.
[4] Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin mentioned that China was working to reduce illegal fishing by instructing Chinese fishermen about the law and at times physically restricting their boats from crossing into South Korean waters.
Liu Weimin also expressed hope that South Korea will fully protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese fishermen and provide humanitarian treatment.