Korean ships engage in sea duel
Source: Agencies |
November 11, 2009, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A BADLY damaged North Korean patrol ship retreated in flames yesterday after a skirmish with a South Korean naval vessel along their disputed western coast, South Korean officials said.
The first naval clash in seven years broke out just a week before US President Barack Obama is due to visit South Korea.
There were no South Korean casualties, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties on the North Korean side. Each side blamed the other for violating the sea border.
The exchange of fire occurred as US officials said Obama has decided to send a special envoy to Pyongyang for rare direct talks on North Korea's nuclear program. No date has been set, but the talks would be the first one-on-one negotiations since Obama took office in January.
"We are sternly protesting to North Korea and urging it to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents," South Korean Rear Admiral Lee Ki-sik told reporters in Seoul.
North Korea's military issued a statement blaming South Korea for the "grave armed provocation," saying its ships had crossed into North Korean territory.
It claimed that a group of South Korean warships opened fire but fled after the North Korean patrol boat dealt "a prompt retaliatory blow." The statement, carried on the official Korean Central News Agency, said South Korea should apologize.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who convened an emergency security meeting, ordered the defense minister to strengthen military readiness.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that a North Korean patrol boat crossed the disputed western sea border about 11:27am, drawing warning shots from a South Korean navy vessel. The North Korean boat then opened fire and the South's ship returned fire before the North's vessel sailed back toward its waters.
The North Korean ship was seriously damaged in the skirmish, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said. Prime Minister Chung Un-chan told lawmakers the ship was on fire when it fled north.
The shooting reportedly lasted for about two minutes. The South Korean ship was lightly damaged.
The first naval clash in seven years broke out just a week before US President Barack Obama is due to visit South Korea.
There were no South Korean casualties, the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties on the North Korean side. Each side blamed the other for violating the sea border.
The exchange of fire occurred as US officials said Obama has decided to send a special envoy to Pyongyang for rare direct talks on North Korea's nuclear program. No date has been set, but the talks would be the first one-on-one negotiations since Obama took office in January.
"We are sternly protesting to North Korea and urging it to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents," South Korean Rear Admiral Lee Ki-sik told reporters in Seoul.
North Korea's military issued a statement blaming South Korea for the "grave armed provocation," saying its ships had crossed into North Korean territory.
It claimed that a group of South Korean warships opened fire but fled after the North Korean patrol boat dealt "a prompt retaliatory blow." The statement, carried on the official Korean Central News Agency, said South Korea should apologize.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who convened an emergency security meeting, ordered the defense minister to strengthen military readiness.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that a North Korean patrol boat crossed the disputed western sea border about 11:27am, drawing warning shots from a South Korean navy vessel. The North Korean boat then opened fire and the South's ship returned fire before the North's vessel sailed back toward its waters.
The North Korean ship was seriously damaged in the skirmish, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said. Prime Minister Chung Un-chan told lawmakers the ship was on fire when it fled north.
The shooting reportedly lasted for about two minutes. The South Korean ship was lightly damaged.
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