7th Ship Crosses Northern Line

North Korean vessels continued Friday to encroach across the Northern Limit Line, as criticism mounted that the South Korean government and military were inconsistent in their handling of the intrusions.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday, "The North Korean ship Nampo crossed the Northern Limit Line at 90 miles east of Kangwon on Thursday afternoon."

This marks the seventh ship to have crossed the line within the past two weeks, and the eighth to violate Korean sea boundaries.

The military leadership did not actively draw up strategies to repel the intruders. It said in a statement: "Except for the vessel Cheongjin 2 that intruded into our core strategic area, the others passed through our Approved Areas Operation."

No specific instructions have been given by the minister of defense or others responsible for South Korea's national security to the Joint Chiefs of Staff since the sailings into South Korean waters began on June 2. Critics questioned whether crisis management was functioning properly.

"The government ceded too much beyond the principles of security, for fear it would hinder the return visit to Seoul by [North Korean leader] Kim Jong-il," said Song Young-dai, a former vice-minister of unification.

The government is said to be preparing amendments to the rules of engagement and strategies of the South Korean military.

"Our military's rules of engagement and Standards Operating Procedures for the Northern Limit Line that was declared by the United Nations Command in 1953, are somewhat unrealistic," said a high-ranking government official Friday.

Since 1973, the North has demanded the nullification of the line on the ground that it was unilaterally drawn by the United States without sanction in international law or the armistice agreement. The line runs 42.5 miles to the east and 218 miles to the west.

The official argued that it was unrealistic for the South Korean Navy to defend the entire stretch of the line. He proposed dividing the seas into areas that must be protected at all cost, surveillance areas and international waters.

by Kim Min-seok