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PacNet #25 – Calming the Waters: Confidence Building Measures for the Yellow Sea

OIt’s the peak of the crab season, which means the two Korean navies are facing off in the Yellow (or West) Sea. The blue crabs are an important source of food and foreign exchange for the impoverished North, and they are equally coveted by the fishermen in the South. Unfortunately, the sea border – the Northern Limit Line, or NLL – is disputed and fishing boats from both sides, escorted by warships, cross the boundary daily, raising tensions and risking a clash. Plainly, there is a need for a confidence building regime in these waters.