Seoul beefs up forces to guard Yellow Sea waters
Published: 12 Nov. 2009, 02:16
Following Tuesday’s naval skirmish with North Korea, South Korea yesterday beefed up forces in the Yellow Sea and deployed a destroyer to waters near the maritime border.
After a North Korean ship crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border in the waters west of the peninsula, the two Koreas exchanged gunfire near Daecheong Island. It was the first naval clash in seven years. The North’s boat was damaged and Pyongyang demanded an apology from Seoul.
No signs of retaliation from the North were detected as of yesterday afternoon, but the South’s Navy and Air Force maintained an emergency alert. Shortly after the skirmish, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young ordered heightened military readiness.
According to military sources, the South deployed a 4,800-ton destroyer to the western waters. Two 1,800-ton patrol boats were also sent to the area. “No special situation is seen near the NLL,” said Park Seong-wu, public affairs chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The winds and waves are rough, so hardly any fishing boats are out there.”
The South, however, is preparing for possible retaliation by the North using guns and ground-to-ship missiles deployed near the port of Haeju, military sources said. All South Korean civilian sand carriers halted operations near Haeju and returned home by yesterday morning.
Two relief groups intending to visit Pyongyang also delayed their plans, the Unification Ministry said.
South Koreans’ border crossing to access the Kaesong Industrial Complex, however, proceeded without a hitch.
With the clash coming a week before U.S. President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit to Seoul, Washington urged Pyongyang to exercise restraint. “I would say to the North Koreans that we hope that there will be no further actions in the Yellow Sea that can be seen as an escalation,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, traveling with Obama on Air Force One.
While beefing up forces, the South also expressed its wish to preserve the momentum of improving inter-Korean relations. “We do not want to see inter-Korean relations worsening because of the incident,” said presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye. “We don’t want it to become an obstacle in improving the inter-Korean ties.”
Seoul also carefully delayed its assessment on whether the incident was an accidental move by the North or an intentional armed provocation. “It’s too early to discuss that,” said a senior Blue House official. “We will wait and see.”
How the latest naval skirmish will affect Korean Peninsula affairs is remained to be seen since the incident took place at a sensitive time. There have been recent signs of a thaw in relations between the two countries.
Two naval skirmishes took place between the two Koreas in 1999 and 2002, and both times, the incidents served as opportunities - whether intended or not - for Seoul and Pyongyang to engage in talks. Following the 2002 skirmish, the two Koreas had contact to discuss the clash, which eventually led to the resumption of the halted inter-Korean ministerial discussions. The two Koreas also contacted each other to address the first naval clash in 1999, and the dialogues led to the historic inter-Korean summit.
By Ser Myo-ja, ㅣLee Young-jong [[email protected]]
After a North Korean ship crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto sea border in the waters west of the peninsula, the two Koreas exchanged gunfire near Daecheong Island. It was the first naval clash in seven years. The North’s boat was damaged and Pyongyang demanded an apology from Seoul.
No signs of retaliation from the North were detected as of yesterday afternoon, but the South’s Navy and Air Force maintained an emergency alert. Shortly after the skirmish, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young ordered heightened military readiness.
According to military sources, the South deployed a 4,800-ton destroyer to the western waters. Two 1,800-ton patrol boats were also sent to the area. “No special situation is seen near the NLL,” said Park Seong-wu, public affairs chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The winds and waves are rough, so hardly any fishing boats are out there.”
The South, however, is preparing for possible retaliation by the North using guns and ground-to-ship missiles deployed near the port of Haeju, military sources said. All South Korean civilian sand carriers halted operations near Haeju and returned home by yesterday morning.
Two relief groups intending to visit Pyongyang also delayed their plans, the Unification Ministry said.
South Koreans’ border crossing to access the Kaesong Industrial Complex, however, proceeded without a hitch.
With the clash coming a week before U.S. President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit to Seoul, Washington urged Pyongyang to exercise restraint. “I would say to the North Koreans that we hope that there will be no further actions in the Yellow Sea that can be seen as an escalation,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday, traveling with Obama on Air Force One.
While beefing up forces, the South also expressed its wish to preserve the momentum of improving inter-Korean relations. “We do not want to see inter-Korean relations worsening because of the incident,” said presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye. “We don’t want it to become an obstacle in improving the inter-Korean ties.”
Seoul also carefully delayed its assessment on whether the incident was an accidental move by the North or an intentional armed provocation. “It’s too early to discuss that,” said a senior Blue House official. “We will wait and see.”
How the latest naval skirmish will affect Korean Peninsula affairs is remained to be seen since the incident took place at a sensitive time. There have been recent signs of a thaw in relations between the two countries.
Two naval skirmishes took place between the two Koreas in 1999 and 2002, and both times, the incidents served as opportunities - whether intended or not - for Seoul and Pyongyang to engage in talks. Following the 2002 skirmish, the two Koreas had contact to discuss the clash, which eventually led to the resumption of the halted inter-Korean ministerial discussions. The two Koreas also contacted each other to address the first naval clash in 1999, and the dialogues led to the historic inter-Korean summit.
By Ser Myo-ja, ㅣLee Young-jong [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)