China installs drilling ship in PMZ

[Anchor]

It has been identified that the large structure installed by China in the West Sea is a modified decommissioned drilling rig.

China is reportedly claiming this as a support facility for aquaculture, and our government is also considering the installation of appropriate facilities as a countermeasure.

Yang Min-cheol reports.

[Report]

A large structure measuring about 70 meters in height and 80 meters in width, equipped with a helicopter landing pad.

This is a structure that China unlawfully installed in the West Sea's Korea-China PMZ, or the provisional measures zone, in 2022.

It is referred to as the 'Atlantic Amsterdam,' and it appears to be a modified decommissioned drilling ship that was built in France in 1982 and used for oil drilling in the Middle East and other regions.

This structure is located near the Sunlan 1·2, which China claims to be a 'deep-sea aquaculture facility,' and it is reported that China asserts this is a 'management support facility' for Sunlan.

The government has been sending survey vessels to investigate this structure about twice a year since confirming its existence three years ago, but recently, the Chinese side has been blocking our access for on-site verification.

There are also suspicions that it is a fixed facility with piles driven into the seabed, but the government has stated that it has not yet been accurately confirmed.

However, it has been revealed that we are discussing the installation of appropriate facilities, including aquaculture facilities, as part of a 'proportional response.'

[Kang Do-hyung/Minister of Oceans and Fisheries: "We are viewing this matter very seriously in terms of its importance and the need to protect our maritime territory. We are considering effective measures, including proportional actions, and the government will respond collectively..."]

The government also plans to raise the issue of the unlawful installation of the structure in the West Sea at the upcoming director-level meeting between the diplomatic authorities of Korea and China scheduled for this week.

This is KBS News, Yang Min-cheol.