At least a dozen Chinese-flagged vessels were fishing in North Korean waters adjacent to the contested Northern Limit Line (NLL) that separates the seas of the two Koreas on Monday, NK News observed during a visit to the remote island of Yeonpyeong-do.

While the presence of Chinese vessels in either North or South Korean waters could be a breach of international law, the two nations’ coast guards appeared to be doing little to stop them.

Experts told NK Newsthat their presence – seemingly just north of the NLL and in DPRK waters – would likely have required payments to