The South Korean coastguard fired at some Chinese boats that were said to have crossed boundary with rubber bullets on October 16, with one fisherman being shot dead. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade expressed its regret over the "unfortunate" incident. But it was also reported on Wednesday that a high-level South Korean coastguard official said they would still act firmly during similar situations in the future.  

The incident is a tragedy caused by the violent law enforcement style of the South Korean coastguard.

In recent years, conflicts between South Korean coastguard and Chinese fishermen have happened repeatedly and the South Korean side has become increasingly tough toward Chinese fishermen. 

Last December, South Korea issued measures to eradicate illegal fishing from China, allowing the coastguard to be armed with guns and fire at Chinese fishermen in Korean waters. This brought up the possibility that unarmed fisherman could be injured or killed during such clashes. 

As coastal states view maritime resources as national strategic resources, competition over interests at sea has become increasingly fierce. China and South Korea have reached some agreements on fishing, but how to secure these interests remains the root cause for confrontations at sea.

Fishermen are the main way through which maritime resources are used, while the duty of the coastguard is to safeguard national maritime interests. As such, clashes between them are sometimes inevitable, especially when some Chinese fishermen do risk fishing illegally, due to dwindling stocks and rising prices.

Fishing disputes are normal for maritime neighboring countries and can be solved through negotiations. While the Chinese government supports solving the problem by peaceful negotiation, South Korea needs to cut down on this violent law enforcement.

Many countries in Northeast Asia have maritime conflicts, among which fishing disputes are prominent. South Korea has fishing conflicts with China, North Korea and Japan. Because of China's soft attitude on the problem, South Korea thinks low-intensity violence won't escalate the conflict and has condoned violence against Chinese fishermen. But it should understand that China won't endure such attacks and deaths among its fishermen.

If South Korea cannot change its manner of dealing with fishing disputes, this will only further complicate the issue and increase confrontation.

The author is a professor at the PLA University of National Defense. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn