Russian soldiers injured in clash with North Korea fishing boat

MOSCOW: Three Russian coast guards were injured Tuesday in a clash with North Korean fishing boats in the Sea of Japan, Russia’s FSB security service said.

The FSB told the Interfax news agency that the border guards spotted two North Korean boats, one of which carried out an “armed attack” on them.

The vessel involved had more than 45 people on board and led to three coastal guards being injured with “varying degrees of severity.”

The guards detained the boat, as well as another North Korean fishing boat with 21 people on board.

Russian coast guards frequently detain North Korean fishermen in the Far East, many of whom use rudimentary, illegal wooden boats. Some of them are sentenced to prison.

There are frequent disputes over fishing rights in the Sea of Japan that is surrounded by Japan, Russia and both North and South Korea.

In July, North Korea released a Russian fishing boat with a crew of 15 Russians and two South Koreans after it was detained for violating entry regulations.