South boat taken to port by the North navy

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South boat taken to port by the North navy

A South Korean fishing boat was towed away by the North after veering above the maritime border, officials said yesterday.

The 29-ton fishing boat, 800 Yeonan, strayed north of the border on the east coast yesterday and was tugged away by a North Korean patrol boat around 6:27 a.m. The boat was about 20 nautical miles northeast of Jaejin, Gangwon province, or seven miles beyond the Northern Limit Line, according to South Korean officials.

The Ministry of National Defense said the 800 Yeonan, carrying four crew members, arrived at the North’s Jangjon Port by 9:30 a.m. The ship had left Gangwon at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Park Sung-woo, spokesman for the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that at 5:05 a.m. South Korean Navy radar spotted an unidentified ship north of the sea border. The vessel didn’t respond to the navy’s call.

Park said the satellite navigation system on the 800 Yeonan malfunctioned, causing the ship to wander north.

Lee Jong-joo, spokeswoman with the Unification Ministry, said North Korean authorities informed Seoul officials that they had received the South Korean message asking for an immediate release of the vessel and that they were investigating.

The North also said it would notify the South of any additional information as it arrived. The North had not responded to earlier requests for the release of the ship.

A military official said the first such call was placed at 6:44 a.m., followed by another at 7:16 a.m. The Unification Ministry said Seoul had filed an official document calling for release at 8:50 a.m.

This marked the third time that a South Korean ship has crossed the sea border into the North. According to the Defense Ministry, the Hwangman entered the North waters on the east coast on April 13, 2005, and came home five days later. On Christmas Eve in 2006, the Woojin wandered across the border, also on the east, and was returned on Jan. 12 the following year.

The South Korean Navy asked for the return of the 800 Yeonan, citing the South’s quick release of two North Korean ships that entered the South’s waters earlier this year.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions and deteriorating relations on the Korean Peninsula. Following the international community’s condemnation of its second nuclear test in late May, North Korea warned that it could no longer guarantee the safety of South Korean and U.S. vessels on the west coast.

A South Korean worker at the Kaesong Industrial Complex has been held since March 30 for allegedly criticizing the North Korean regime and encouraging a female North Korean colleague to defect. South Korea has not been granted access to the man, despite repeated requests.

Officials from the two Koreas have met four times since April over the beleaguered industrial park and have wrangled over land use fees and workers’ wages. The last meeting, held on July 2, ended without any breakthroughs. The two sides have yet to set a date for the next round of talks.



By Yoo Jee-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]


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