ILLEGAL FISHING GROUNDS

[Anchor Lead]

Today we take you to Chunhceon in Gangwondo province where lakes situated on the upper Bukhangang River, which are a water source for the 20 million residents of the wider capital region, are turning into illegal fishing grounds. KBS has confirmed that local authorities were even leaking information related to crackdown of fishing activities in advance.

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A black tent spotted on the corner of this lake was used by a couple in their 70s as an angling spot and a makeshift home until recently when they suffered from carbon dioxide poisoning. The tent, an illegal structure, has been there at least ten years but authorities did not take any action like asking them to take it down. Right along the Bukhangang River, similar tents are not hard to find. Some fishing huts are crudely made with plastic hoses and cloth while rows of seats can be seen prepared for anglers.

[Soundbite] CHOI TAE-SUN(CHUNCHEON RESIDENT) : "It doesn't look good when people enjoy alcohol there. Passers-by stare at them."

It's also been found that a Chuncheon City official tasked with carrying out crackdown operations even allowed a local resident to oversee management of the illegal fishing sites and leaked information about when the clampdowns will occur. The city of Chuncheon explained that disclosing the information was part of measures to enable a smoother crackdown.

[Soundbite] CIVIL SERVANT(voice modified) : "Even if reports come in, we may not be able to reach the site right away. It can even take a day or two."

The Chuncheon government spent over 8 billion won between 2015 and 2017 in revamping the illegal fishing grounds in an effort to clean up the upper Bukhangang River area. But there was a reason why the illegal structures still remained and fishing activities continued.