Chinese fishing boats seized in South Korean waters, one sailor dies

South Korean coast guard authorities said Saturday that they seized two Chinese fishing boats near the border island of Baengnyeong on suspicion of illegally fishing in South Korean territorial waters, while one Chinese sailor died after suffering cardiac arrest during the operation, according to a local media report.

The boats crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between North and South Korea, and entered about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) into South Korean waters on Friday evening, Yonhap News reported, citing the Korea Coast Guard (KCG).

They were intercepted about 14.8 kilometers (9.1 miles) northwest of the island in the Yellow Sea, the Coast Guard claimed.

During the crackdown, a Chinese crew member in his 40s went into cardiac arrest, officials reported. Coast Guard officers performed CPR while transporting him to a nearby hospital, but he was later pronounced dead.

Fellow crew members told authorities the man had consumed a large amount of alcohol before collapsing, according to the news agency.

South Korean authorities said they had notified Chinese consular officials of the death and would continue investigating the remaining crew members over the circumstances surrounding the operation against the alleged illegal fishing.