South Korea is mulling potential countermeasures after confirming China has installed a large steel structure in contested waters of the Yellow Sea, raising fresh concerns over Beijing’s expanding maritime footprint.
Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung said on Monday that the government was preparing a “proportionate” response, which might include building similar facilities such as aquaculture infrastructure, depending on available funding.
“We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness from the standpoint of protecting our maritime territory,” Kang told reporters.
The structure in question is a fixed, rig-style platform installed in 2022 by China within the so-called Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) – an area where the exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China overlap.
The PMZ is governed by a bilateral agreement that permits fishing and navigation but bans construction and other forms of development.
