Putin Offers Cooperative Fishing in Southern Kuril Islands

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered yesterday to President Kim Dae-Jung the Korea-Russia cooperative fishing as one of solutions to the conflict regarding to the third country fishing in waters off of the Southern Kuril Islands.

A governmental official said, ``President Putin proposed several alternatives including the cooperative plan to allow the Korean fishing boats to catch fishes hoisting a Russian flag. In response to Putin`s proposal, President Kim said that the cooperative plan would have to be dealt with as a long-term issue, and the Korean government primarily hoped the Korean fishing boats to continue the fishing steadily.``

Boo Hyung-Kwon bookum90@donga.com