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South Korea and North Korea exchange fire at sea
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These South Korean patrol boats are the same type which were involved
in a skirmish with North Korea on Tuesday, November 10, 2009.
The South Korean government stated that ships from the South Korean and the North Korean navies exchanged fire after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) border at sea. The incident occurred on Tuesday in the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean peninsula. Both sides are claiming that the other was at fault in creating the incident. This was the first violent incident at sea between the two nations in seven years.
No casualties were reported on either side, though the South Korean ship received light damage while the North Korean ship received heavy damage.
The North Korean naval vessel fired back after being confronted with at least warning shots. There are conflicting reports as to which navy directly fired upon the other first.
According to CNN, Rear Admiral Lee Ki Sik of South Korea reported that their navy gave three verbal warnings and one warning shot prior to firing directly upon the patrol boat after the boat continued on its course. As related by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea gave the three verbal warnings and the warning shots, but did not fire directly on the North Korean vessel unit it fired directly at them.
However, North Korea claims that the boat was on routine patrol on the northern side of the border, and that South Korea owes the country an apology.
Stated in a report from the North Korean military, as reported by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), “provocation perpetrated by the South Korean forces in the waters of the north side...The South Korean military authorities should make an apology to the North side for the armed provocation and take a responsible measure against the recurrence of the similar provocation.”
The line of demarcation was established by the Unites Nations Command after the Korean War in the early 1950s. North Korea continually violates this Northern Limit Line (NLL). North Korea contends that South Korea violates the NLL with regularity. However, although they continually make this claim, they do not accept the validity of the line.
Copyright © 2009 by Raymond Gellner
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