Gyeonggi Province Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Activities at Beaches and Harbors Through End of August

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Following its initiative to create clean valleys, Gyeonggi Province is now pursuing the 'Creating Clean Gyeonggi Bay' project and has initiated intensive management of illegal activities at beaches, harbors and fishing ports, illegal fishing operations, and unauthorized marine waste dumping through the end of August this year.

Kim Chung-beom, Director of the Agriculture, Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, held a briefing at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 10th, stating, "Through the elimination of illegal activities at beaches and coastal areas, we will enable residents to enjoy Gyeonggi Bay without inconvenience," and "Through this opportunity, we will overhaul long-established illegal practices and customs to create a clean Gyeonggi Bay."

This measure follows the directive of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung. In June, the governor posted an article titled 'Now It's the Sea' on his social media account, stating, "Following the valleys, I will return the sea to the people of Gyeonggi Province."

Accordingly, the province plans to conduct intensive crackdowns through the end of August across five sectors including beaches, illegal facilities at harbors and fishing ports, illegal fishing operations, and coastal garbage management. The province also plans to hold community forums and showcase the true nature of Gyeonggi Bay to visitors.

First, Gyeonggi Province is conducting crackdowns on illegal activities at three beaches: Jebu Island and Gungpyeong-ri in Hwaseong and Bangameo-ri in Ansan. The targets of enforcement include unauthorized parasol operations where operators plant parasols and collect occupation fees, unlicensed street vending activities, and excessive solicitation. During July alone, the province conducted 72 on-site inspections, issued administrative guidance for four cases that were caught.

Second, the province is advancing remediation of unauthorized facilities at major ports and harbors including Gungpyeong and Jeongok ports in Hwaseong, Tando Port in Ansan, Daemyeong Port in Gimpo, and Oido Port in Siheung across four cities. The province has completed the removal of 43 containers that had been unlawfully occupied for over 20 years at Siheung's Oido Port for fishing gear storage, and plans to remove 76 tents by this month. Additionally, the province will encourage voluntary demolition of unauthorized restaurants at Bultdo Port in Ansan by next year, and if operators refuse, it will pursue administrative enforcement. Ports that are cleared of illegal facilities will be developed through the Rural Fishery Village New Deal project and local fishing port development projects.

Third, the province intensively cracks down on illegal fishing operations including the capture of juvenile fish. Gyeonggi Province has 980 registered fishing vessels in total, including 549 in Hwaseong. The province inspects these vessels for illegal activities such as violations of designated fishing zones, while on land it also enforces against illegal fishing equipment storage, illegal catch storage and sales. The province plans to operate a civilian fisheries resource protection monitoring system consisting of 30 monitors. From June 29 to July 31, the province inspected 417 fishing vessels in 48 occasions, identifying 6 cases of unlicensed fishing and fishing zone violations, resulting in 5 administrative penalties and 3 criminal proceedings.

Fourth, illegal angling targets 94 fishing vessels registered in the province, including 51 in Hwaseong, and 3,807 water leisure vessels. Enforcement targets include capture of juvenile fish, sale of caught fish, and illegal dumping of garbage. The province also plans to operate a fishing environment guardian system consisting of 50 monitors. On-site inspections were conducted four times between July 18 and 31, identifying one case of illegal catch limit violations, which resulted in administrative penalty.

Fifth, the province plans to manage garbage abandoned on beaches to create a clean marine environment. Coastal garbage collected by the province at 33 ports and harbors and four inhabited islands including Kukwhado Island and Ipdo Island amounts to approximately 1,000 tons annually. The province has organized 31 coastal guardians this year to handle real-time garbage collection and disposal. Next year, the province plans to expand this to 100 people. From January to July, coastal garbage collected amounted to approximately 573 tons.

Kim Chung-beom, Director of the Agriculture, Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Through the end of August, we will intensively conduct joint crackdowns with Gyeonggi Special Provincial Police and municipal governments and maritime police to eradicate illegal activities," and "While strengthening enforcement, we plan to provide full support for convenience facilities to activate Gyeonggi Bay, including restrooms, foot-washing stations, and garbage collection areas for tourists and local residents."