Personnel spotted at China's structure in Yellow Sea: lawmaker

INCHEON, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- Chinese personnel were spotted for the first time on a structure installed by Beijing in the overlapping maritime zone with Seoul in the Yellow Sea, a lawmaker has said.

Five people -- including one person in a wetsuit who appeared to be handling an oxygen tank -- were seen in a recent photo of the Yellow Sea installation released by Rep. Yi Byeong-jin of the ruling Democratic Party ahead of a parliamentary audit for the Coast Guard on Wednesday.

Yi raised doubts over the purpose of the installation, saying it is rare for wetsuits and oxygen tanks to be used at a site for marine farming. He also noted how a high-speed vessel for a small number of crew was also spotted nearby.

The lawmaker urged the government to take proportional countermeasures against such a movement, raising concerns over Beijing potentially using the structure for military purposes.

"There is a possibility that people may be residing within the structure," Yi said. "We should not miss the golden time to guard our maritime sovereignty, as China will never pull out unless we actively take countermeasures."

South Korea has expressed concerns over the Chinese sea structure, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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