ID :
191725
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 09:54
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/191725
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S. Korea marks ninth anniversary of naval skirmish against North
SPYEONGTAEK, South Korea, June 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday marked the ninth anniversary of a deadly naval skirmish with North Korea on the western waters, in a solemn ceremony attended by surviving families of the fallen soldiers.
Six naval sailors were killed and 18 others were injured in the battle near the western sea border between the Koreas. It began when two North Korean patrol boats intruded into the South's western waters off the island of Yeonpyeong on June 29, 2002.
The occasion is known as the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong. The first battle took place in 1999.
At the ceremony held on the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command here, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said the second Yeonpyeong battle is "a proud part of our history that showed our determination and courage to protect our territorial waters." He stressed that the South shouldn't let its guard down yet.
"Despite its loss at the Yeonpyeong battle, North Korea hasn't stopped carrying out reckless provocations," Kim said. He was referring to the North's torpedoing of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March last year, and its shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November.
"The government and the military are doing everything possible to maintain a strong defense posture that will firmly respond to any threat to our territory and our people," Kim added.
Kim also paid tributes to the soldiers who lost their lives in the battle, saying the country's political and economic success of today "wouldn't have been possible without their dedication and sacrifice."
The Navy had commemorated the skirmish until 2009, and the government took control last year to organize the ceremony in a larger scale to raise public awareness of national security. Officials made the decision amid heightened tensions in light of the Cheonan sinking.
Although no casualties from the North were reported, about 30 North Korean sailors were believed to have been killed or wounded in the 2002 skirmish, according to the South's defense ministry.
The sea border has long been a constant source of military tensions between the two Koreas. In addition to 2002, the sides fought bloody gun battles there in 1999 and 2009.
Six naval sailors were killed and 18 others were injured in the battle near the western sea border between the Koreas. It began when two North Korean patrol boats intruded into the South's western waters off the island of Yeonpyeong on June 29, 2002.
The occasion is known as the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong. The first battle took place in 1999.
At the ceremony held on the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command here, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik said the second Yeonpyeong battle is "a proud part of our history that showed our determination and courage to protect our territorial waters." He stressed that the South shouldn't let its guard down yet.
"Despite its loss at the Yeonpyeong battle, North Korea hasn't stopped carrying out reckless provocations," Kim said. He was referring to the North's torpedoing of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March last year, and its shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November.
"The government and the military are doing everything possible to maintain a strong defense posture that will firmly respond to any threat to our territory and our people," Kim added.
Kim also paid tributes to the soldiers who lost their lives in the battle, saying the country's political and economic success of today "wouldn't have been possible without their dedication and sacrifice."
The Navy had commemorated the skirmish until 2009, and the government took control last year to organize the ceremony in a larger scale to raise public awareness of national security. Officials made the decision amid heightened tensions in light of the Cheonan sinking.
Although no casualties from the North were reported, about 30 North Korean sailors were believed to have been killed or wounded in the 2002 skirmish, according to the South's defense ministry.
The sea border has long been a constant source of military tensions between the two Koreas. In addition to 2002, the sides fought bloody gun battles there in 1999 and 2009.
