Sunday, Jun 30, 2002
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South Korea said North Korean vessels intruded across their disputed maritime border and fired on its boats. North Korea said it was the other way around, accusing the South of a "grave provocation". Seoul's Defence Ministry said one South Korean vessel was sunk in the Yellow Sea 170 km west of Inchon International Airport, through which tens of thousands of World Cup soccer visitors entered the country this month. North Korean vessels fired first, South Korean Lieutenant-General Lee Sang-hee told a news conference. "North Korea bears full responsibility for the incident," said a statement sent to the North by the Defence Minister, Kim Dong-shin. "We urge the North to apologise for apparent breach of the truce treaty," the Minister's statement said. The clash occurred in the same area of a June 1999 gun battle in which dozens of North Korean sailors were killed following nine days of North Korean intrusions. That sea battle was the first naval clash since the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea's official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted a military source, who gave the communist regime's version of the Koreas' deadliest naval clash in three years. "The South Korean army committed such a grave provocation as firing bullets and shells at patrol boats of the navy of the Korean People's Army on routine coastal guard duty in the west sea of Korea today," KCNA said. "In retaliation against this, (North Korean) warships were compelled to take a self-defensive step. As a result, there was an exchange of fire between the two sides, causing losses," the KCNA report said. The South Korean President, Kim Dae-jung, convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to respond to the latest blow to his Nobel Prize-winning "Sunshine Policy" of promoting reconciliation with North Korea through aid, trade and reuniting families. "We can't tolerate the North and this is an obvious breach of the armistice agreement to increase tension on the peninsula," Mr. Kim said in a statement issued by his office. South and North Korea have been divided since the 1950-53 Korean War and are still technically at war because the fighting ended in a truce that has not been replaced by a peace treaty. Mr. Kim had just days ago underscored that his "Sunshine Policy" of engaging North Korea while maintaining military readiness had ensured a safe World Cup in South Korea and co-host Japan. A secretary to Mr. Kim said the President would proceed with his planned trip to Japan on Sunday to watch the World Cup final. — Reuters
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