hankyoreh

a National Assembly lawmaker demonstrates how to use a gun that fires rubber bullets

By Ahn Kwan-ok, Gwangju correspondent

The results of an autopsy show that the cause of a Chinese fisherman’s death on Oct. 16 was rupture of the heart caused by the impact of a South Korean Coast Guard‘s rubber bullet. The fisherman, identified by his surname Zhang, 44, was involved in a violent clash between the coast guard and the crew of a Chinese fishing boat said to have been operating illegally inside South Korea’s exclusive economic zone.

The autopsy was performed by the National Forensic Service and found that Zhang had a 2mm rupture at the apex of the heart after the rubber bullet struck him in the lower left central region of the chest. There was no sign of blunt-force trauma of assault and the report found that he did not suffer from any chronic diseases. These findings were released on Oct. 20 and the final results of the autopsy are scheduled to be released in ten days.

A coast guard spokesperson said, “The bullet had a more severe impact because Zhang was not wearing a life vest,” adding, “Our response was not in error, as our officers complied with the regulations, including maintaining the recommended range of 8 to 10 meters.”

The Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office assessed the arrest warrants of 11 crewmen on the Chinese boat Yaodanyu 23827 on charges that they wielded lethal weapons against the coast guard during their crackdown on illegal fishing (special obstruction of official duties) and issued arrest warrants for 10 fishermen including the captain, identified by his surname, Zhang. The arrest warrant for a crewman identified by as Liu, 38, was dismissed on the grounds that his participation was minor. The Prosecutors’ Office also issued an arrest warrant for a man identified by the surname Wu, 44, the captain of a smaller accompanying vessel, the Yaodanyu 23828, for violating the Exclusive Economic Zone Fisheries Act.

The arrested fishermen were charged with inflicting injury on two South Korean Coast Guard personnel with weapons including hatchets, hacksaws, tridents, and pipes against officers attempting to apprehend them, when they were spotted illegally fishing within South Korea’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in waters 90 km northwest of Hongdo, an island off the coast of South Jeolla Province on Oct. 16.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]