South Korea's government said Thursday it will step up crackdowns on Chinese fishing vessels illegally operating in waters near the inter-Korean sea border in the West Sea. The Korea Coast Guard held a joint press briefing in Seoul with the foreign, unification, defense and fisheries ministries to announce the government's comprehensive measures to counter foreign vessels illegally operating near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas. They said the government will implement four countermeasures, including intensifying crackdowns on Chinese fishing vessels operating near the NLL, forcibly removing illegal fishing gear, strengthening on-site enforcement capabilities and enhancing cooperative enforcement and diplomatic cooperation. Specifically, the government will streamline information-sharing procedures between the military and police and punish acts of anchoring at sea and supplying goods through amendments to relevant laws. The fisheries ministry plans to deploy dedicated vessels to forcibly remove traps and other illegal fishing gear instal