MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. The Russian border guards detained almost 4,000 North Korean fishermen for poaching in the Sea of Japan last year or 14 times more than in the previous five years, First Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Head of Russia’s Border Guard Service Vladimir Kulishov told TASS.

"The problem of countering in the Russian waters of the Sea of Japan the poaching activity of North Korean fishermen who were overly aggressive became especially pressing last year," he said in an interview with TASS that will be published on May 28 and is timed for Russia’s Border Guards Day.

"The measures taken helped remedy the situation," Kulishov said.

As the head of Russia’s Border Guard Service stated, "16 fishing vessels and 328 small-size craft flying the flag of North Korea with 3,754 poachers were detained for illegal fishing of marine bio-resources, which exceeds the aggregate figures for the previous five years (11 North Korean vessels with 260 poachers were detained from 2014 to 2018)."