International and South Korean NGOs are condemning the South Korean government for mishandling a case of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing that occurred in the Antarctic.
Despite pledging the two vessels in question would be sanctioned, the South Korean government halted prosecution and allowed the vessel owners to sell the illegal catch on the international market, risking it landing on the plates of consumers.
NGOs, including the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), the Citizen's Institutes for Environmental Studies (CIES) and the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM), have criticised the Korean government, pointing out that the suspension was applied during a non-fishing period under the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), meaning it had little or no impact on the operator.
