Dong-A Ilbo/AFP via Getty Images. South Korean coastguard officers (L) stand on guard after a Chinese fishing boat arrived in the southwestern port of Mokpo on October 17, 2012, a day after it was seized for illegal fishing in the Yellow Sea. South Korea’s coastguard said on October 17 it was holding 23 Chinese fishermen in custody for questioning after a violent clash in the Yellow Sea that left one Chinese crew member dead.