Father, son experienced sea battles with North

The father of one of the four South Korean sailors killed in the recent South-North naval battle in the Yellow Sea reportedly caught a North Korean spy boat 32 years to the day before his son's death.

Yoon Doo-ho, the father of Lieutenant Yoon Yong-ha, who commanded the patrol boat that sunk last Saturday, helped seize an armed North Korean spy boat off the coast just south of Incheon on June 29, 1970.

The elder Mr. Yoon, who, like his son, commanded a South Korean Navy patrol boat, was 1.4 kilometers off the west coast when he received an order to track down an unidentified vessel heading at full speed toward North Korean waters. The North Korean boat was returning fire after warning shots from South Korean vessels in pursuit. Mr. Yoon and his crew joined the chase, which ended two hours later near the northern coast of Yeongheung Island. Mr. Yoon received a medal for coming up with the plan that led to the capture of the ship.

His son, who, like his father, graduated from the Korea Naval Academy, also tried to follow in his footsteps, defending his country. Unfortunately, he gave his life in its defense.

The younger Mr. Yoon, just 26 years old when he was killed, was one of the first to die after the North Koreans started firing, navy officials said. His crew reportedly fought bravely through the attack until their ship, engulfed in flames, finally went down.

On Monday, during the funeral service for the four young men at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi province, the father wept openly for his son.

by Kim Min-seok