MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. The detention of North Korean fishermen for poaching in Russia's territorial waters will cause no damage to Moscow’s relations with Pyongyang, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"It certainly won’t," he said, when asked if the move would deal a blow to relations between the two countries.
"You know, a large number of North Korean poachers cross the Russian border to illegally fish in Russia’s territorial waters, so undoubtedly, firm measures need to be taken to restore order," Peskov pointed out.
On Friday, officers from the Primorye Region's branch of the Federal Security Service’s Border Service detained three North Korean fishing ships and five motorboats with 262 fishermen aboard on suspicion of poaching, spokesperson for the service, Albina Proskurenko said. According to her, "three fishing ships and five motorboats with a total of 262 North Korean fishermen aboard have been detained for illegally fishing in Russia’s Exclusive Economic Zone." About 30,000 carcasses of illegally caught squid and banned fishing equipment were seized from the poachers. The detained fishermen were transported to the ports of Nakhodka and Posyet for investigation.