N. Korean naval boat returns after standoff in S. Korean waters

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout; RECASTS lead, headline; ADDS comments, background)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean patrol boat intruded over the South
Korean side of their western sea border on Thursday, but retreated after a
standoff that lasted nearly an hour, an official here said.

The intrusion took place at 2:47 p.m. about 12 km off the South Korean island of
Yeonpyeong, near which deadly naval battles erupted between the divided states in
1999 and 2002, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said.
The boat returned at 3:38 p.m. after repeated warnings by South Korean naval
forces guarding the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the official said, speaking on
customary condition of anonymity.
The standoff came amid high tension in the Yellow Sea after North Korea warned
last week against the safety of U.S. and South Korean vessels operating near the
maritime border.
North Korea says the NLL -- drawn by a U.S. commander at the end of the 1950-53
Korean War that ended in a truce -- should be drawn farther south.
"The North Korean boat reached 1.6 kilometers into the South Korean side," the
official said. "It appears the boat trespassed over the border while chasing
Chinese fishing boats that were illegally operating."
But the official did not rule out the possibility that North Korea had
deliberately sent the vessel to further raise tension in the Yellow Sea.
South Korea radioed a warning message to the boat once before and twice after it
trespassed, he said, adding the incident marks the third time North Korea has
breached the maritime border this year.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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