Anchor: South Korea and China held maritime cooperation talks in Seoul as the two sides wrangled over structures China built in a disputed area in the Yellow Sea. The United States also weighed in, criticizing China for installing the structures, saying China’s refusal to abide by international law causes instability in the region. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: South Korea on Wednesday expressed serious concerns about steel structures China built in a disputed area in the Yellow Sea during its third maritime cooperation dialogue with China in Seoul. 

The government emphasized that South Korea’s legitimate maritime rights should not be violated. 

China installed two fish farms in 2018 and 2024 and an apparent oil drilling facility that was built in 2022 in the Provisional Maritime Zone in the Yellow Sea, where the two countries’ exclusive economic zones overlap. 

Questions were also raised about whether China built the sea structures in an attempt to expand its influence in the Yellow Sea and create a basis for territorial claims.

However, China reiterated its stance that the structures are purely intended for aquaculture purposes and have nothing to do with territorial sovereignty or delimiting maritime boundaries. 

During Wednesday’s talks, South Korea and China agreed to set up a subcommittee on maritime order to discuss the steel structures based on the common understanding that this issue should not hinder the development of bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, the United States criticized China for the structures’ installment, saying China’s refusal to abide by international law causes instability in the region.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that China’s decadeslong refusal to abide by international law, including freedom of navigation, hampers its own economic interests and causes instability in the region.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.