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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| North and South Korean navies 'exchange fire' |
| 2009-11-10 |
| Naval ships from North and South Korea exchanged fire along their disputed western sea border today, with a ship from the north suffering heavy damage before retreating, military officials from the south said. There were no South Korean casualties, the country's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement, and it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties on the north's side. The north's patrol boat crossed the disputed western sea border this morning, drawing warning shots from a South Korean navy vessel, the statement said. The North Korean boat then opened fire and the south's ship returned fire before the north's vessel sailed back toward its waters, the statement said. The North Korean ship was seriously damaged in the skirmish while the South Korean ship was unscathed, said a joint chiefs of staff officer on condition of anonymity, citing department policy. There was no immediate comment from North Korea on the clash. The countries' navies fought deadly skirmishes along the western sea border in 1999 and 2002. Six South Korean sailors were killed in 2002, according to the South Korean navy, adding that number of North Korean causalities remained unclear. The two Koreas have yet to agree on their sea border more than 50 years after the end of the 1950-53 civil war, which ended in an armistice and but without a peace treaty. Instead, they rely on a line that the then commander of UN forces, which fought for the south, drew unilaterally at the end of the conflict. Pyongyang last month accused South Korean warships of broaching its western territorial waters and warned of a clash in the zone, which is a rich crab fishing area. The latest conflict comes amid international tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and expectations that Pyongyang and Washington may soon engage in direct talks. There were no signs, however, of tension along Korea's heavily fortified land border. The South Korean joint chiefs of staff said that were no unusual troop movements on the north side of that border. At Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone, an Associated Press photographer said there was no visible tension. A group of Chinese tourists was visiting on the North Korean side. The area is where officers from the north hold meetings with their counterparts from the south, the US and other members of the UN command. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 Why fire warning shots if they're gonna shoot to kill in response? Foreplay. |
| Posted by: Don Vito Uleash 2009-11-10 19:52 |
| #1 Why fire warning shots if they're gonna shoot to kill in response? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-11-10 12:01 |