According to South Korean diplomatic sources, China said it is a commercial fish farm that Seoul has no right to inspect, as it is located outside its territorial waters.

China installed two semi-submersible buoys in 2018 and 2024; it also built a fixed steel structure in 2022, believed to be a decommissioned oil platform that has now been repurposed.

Beijing claims the two floating facilities are salmon farms, and that the fixed structure, equipped with a helipad, was built as an aquaculture management center.

South Korean Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung said at a press conference that relevant government agencies are reviewing all possible options to address the issue, and that no decision has yet been made.

jrr/arm/mem/nv