한중 양국은 모두 유엔해양법협약의 당사자이며 2000년 양자 간 어업협정을 체결한 바 있다. 그러나 최근 중국 어선들의 우리나라 영해 침범이나 무허가ㆍ불법어업의 사례는 급증하고 있으며, 단속에 대한 저항의 강도도 점차 거세지고 있다. 이러한 배경에서 본고는 그 법적 지위 및 권한과 관련하여 해군에게 불법어업 단속과 같은 국내법 집행권한이 인정될 수 있는지, 그리고 있다고 한다면 그 역할과 범위는 어떠한지 등에 대하여 살펴본다. 그 결과 해군에게는 본래 경찰적 역할이 부여되고 있을 뿐만 아니라 본연의 국가안보 관련 역할의 경우에도 해양안보의 개념이 전향적으로 변화하고 있음을 감안하여 이 문제에 대하여 긍정적으로 접근 가능함을 알 수 있으며, 해양법협약과 관련 국내법령을 중심으로 살펴볼 때도 해군의 법집행권한의 근거가 긍정될 수 있는 여지가 충분하다고 본다. 한편, 현실적 필요성에 입각하여 해군에 대하여 불법어업 단속과 관련한 역할과 권한을 부여하더라도 그 주된 역할과 책임은 여전히 해경이나 어업감독공무원에게 있다고 보아야 하며, 해군의 역할은 ‘보조적인’ 역할로 한정될 수밖에 없다. 그리고 불법조업 단속 내지 해군의 경찰적 역할과 관련하여 관련 법령에 그 역할 및 권한을 명시적으로 규정함으로써 그 적법성 및 정당성과 관련된 불필요한 논란을 방지할 필요가 있다.
The Republic of Korea and China, as parties to the UNCLOS proclaimed their EEZ up to 200 n.m. towards the opposite State. Because the distance between two States does not extend 400 n.m., Korea and China have to delimit their maritime(EEZ) boundary. In 2000, Korea and China concluded the Fishery Agreement, being in effective since 2001, and began to regulate the other State``s illegal fishing activities within their EEZ. Under the UNCLOS, Fishery Agreement, and their related national laws, the two States may have sovereign rights and jurisdiction to regulate and enforce the illegal activities of other State``s fishing boats. Korea enacted the Act relating to foreign fishing boats`` activities within the EEZ according to the UNCLOS and Fishery Agreements. Under this Act, the power and competence to curb and enforce the illegal fisheries is conferred on the Coast Guard and other related officials, however, the Navy``s role of enforcement of foreign fishing boats`` illegal activities is not explicitly authorized. Nowadays, the number of illegal fishing boats is critically increasing and the counter action of China``s fishing boats against the legal enforcement has been increasingly systematized and turned violent. Under this circumstances, the concern for the role and competence of Navy for the crackdown and enforcement of laws and regulations on illegal fisheries of China``s fishing boats in cooperation with the Coast Guard and other related authorities is increasingly raised, and the need to examine and inquire into the legal basis and scope of the Navy``s competence for legal enforcement is also stressed. This article aims to examine and inquire into the legal basis and the scope of the role and competence, and the limitations of Navy relating to crackdown on illegal fishing boats, specially focusing on the regulation of the use of force(weapons) against the counter actions of illegal fishing boats. Although its primary and basic role is to defend the national security on military basis, the Navy may have the power and competence to enforce the national laws and regulations relating to fisheries on the basis of its police power(role) and its authority on maritime security. But, the exercise of this Navy power must be regulated and restricted severely by the related Acts. Therefore, the basis and the scope of legal enforcement and use of arms against the counter actions is to be stipulated in the related Acts, since the police role of Navy is not primary, but secondary or subsidiary to the role of the Coast Guard, and the practical use of arms by the Navy for the legal enforcement may easily misconstrued as the use of armed forces vis-a-vis other State.