The captain of a Chinese fishing boat who fatally stabbed a South Korean coast guard officer to death last December will spend the next 30 years behind bars.

The 43-year-old boat captain, identified by his last name Chung, will also pay a fine of 20-million won. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Chung, who was arrested 87 kilometers off the coast of Incheon after murdering the coastguardsman with an undetermined weapon. The Chinese captain's boat had been stopped for fishing illegally in South Korean waters.

Eight other members on board the Chinese vessel and the captain of another Chinese fishing boat who tried to use his boat to thwart the South Korean coast guard’s efforts were each handed one-and-a-half to five year jail terms and a 10-million to 20-million won fine.

The Incheon District Court said it had no choice but to sternly punish the boats crew in order to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.