Missile threat kept support at bay

During last weekend's deadly naval clash, the South Korean Navy's combat corvettes were slow to react for fear of a North Korean missile attack, a high-ranking military source said Wednesday.

"When the battle began Saturday, the North activated radar detector of its Silkworm ground-to-sea missiles along its western coast," the military source said. "Our combat corvettes did not travel to the battle site at full speed due in part to the potential missile attack. Thus, they failed to close to within shooting range in time."

North Korea has ground-to-sea missiles deployed at Deungsan Point, just north of South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island. The missiles have a reported range of 95 kilometers.

Another military source said two South Korean corvettes were 12 kilometers from the battle site when the North Korean ships opened fire. If the corvettes had proceeded at top speed, more than 30 knots per hour, the ships would have been able to attack the North Korean patrol boat within its effective shooting range, the source said. Immediately after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the sea border the navy ordered the two corvettes to support nearby South Korea vessels. The command, however, did not order them to move immediately to the site of the clash.

Navy commanders thought that the North Korean boat was seriously damaged and that the South Korean boat had suffered only minor hits, an assumption that contributed to the decision to hold back the corvettes, fast heavily armed vessels.

The two corvettes fired 40 shots with their 76-millimeter guns toward the end of the clash, but by then the North Korean boats were outside the limit of the guns' 8-kilometer range. Only one shot was seen to hit the target.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is investigating the navy's performance in the incident. The National Defense Ministry declined requests by political parties to do inquiries into the battle.

by Kim Min-seok