ID :
64258
Thu, 06/04/2009 - 20:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/64258
The shortlink copeid
(2nd LD) N. Korean naval boat returns after standoff in S. Korean waters
(ATTN: ADDS S. Korean move in para 2, comment on N. Korean position in penultimate
para, background; RESTRUCTURES; RECASTS lead)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean patrol boat crossed into South Korean
waters on Thursday and retreated after a standoff that lasted nearly an hour near
their western sea border, officials said.
South Korea summoned a destroyer and its own patrol boats operating nearby
following the intrusion, Joint Chiefs of Staff officials in Seoul said, but no
clash erupted between the sides.
The intrusion took place at 2:47 p.m. about 12 km off the South Korean island of
Yeonpyeong, near which naval skirmishes turned deadly between the countries in
1999 and 2002, the officials said.
The North Korean boat returned to the North's side at 3:38 p.m. after repeated
warnings by South Korean naval forces guarding the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the
officials said.
"The North Korean boat reached 1.6 kilometers into the South Korean side," an
official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. "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 raise tension in the Yellow Sea.
The standoff came after North Korea warned last week against the safety of naval
vessels operating near the NLL, drawn by a U.S. commander at the end of the
1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce.
North Korea, which conducted its second nuclear test on May 25 and appears to be
moving to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile on the west coast, says the
NLL should be drawn farther south.
South Korea radioed a warning message to the boat once before and twice after it
trespassed, the officials said, adding the incident marks the third time the
North has breached the border this year.
"The vessel mostly kept its position while it floated on our side," an official
said.
The relations between the two Koreas are at the worst level in a decade after
President Lee Myung-bak took office in Seoul with a pledge to get tough on the
North's nuclear weapons programs.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
para, background; RESTRUCTURES; RECASTS lead)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean patrol boat crossed into South Korean
waters on Thursday and retreated after a standoff that lasted nearly an hour near
their western sea border, officials said.
South Korea summoned a destroyer and its own patrol boats operating nearby
following the intrusion, Joint Chiefs of Staff officials in Seoul said, but no
clash erupted between the sides.
The intrusion took place at 2:47 p.m. about 12 km off the South Korean island of
Yeonpyeong, near which naval skirmishes turned deadly between the countries in
1999 and 2002, the officials said.
The North Korean boat returned to the North's side at 3:38 p.m. after repeated
warnings by South Korean naval forces guarding the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the
officials said.
"The North Korean boat reached 1.6 kilometers into the South Korean side," an
official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. "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 raise tension in the Yellow Sea.
The standoff came after North Korea warned last week against the safety of naval
vessels operating near the NLL, drawn by a U.S. commander at the end of the
1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce.
North Korea, which conducted its second nuclear test on May 25 and appears to be
moving to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile on the west coast, says the
NLL should be drawn farther south.
South Korea radioed a warning message to the boat once before and twice after it
trespassed, the officials said, adding the incident marks the third time the
North has breached the border this year.
"The vessel mostly kept its position while it floated on our side," an official
said.
The relations between the two Koreas are at the worst level in a decade after
President Lee Myung-bak took office in Seoul with a pledge to get tough on the
North's nuclear weapons programs.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
