- (AFP) -- South Korea's navy fired warning shots as North
Korean fishing vessels intruded into a tense inter-Korean sea border in
the Yellow Sea, defying repeated warnings to retreat.
-
- Two South Korean navy boats fired 34 shots -- nine rounds
from a 40-millimetre gun and 25 rounds from machine guns -- to force eight
North Korean vessels back into their territory, the military joint chiefs
of staff said Sunday.
-
- "We fired warning shots five times altogether because
the North Korean fishing boats defied our repeated warnings," South
Korean navy Captain Yoon Won-Sik said.
-
- The first shot was fired shortly after the North Korean
vessels began crossing the sea border at 10:04 am (0104 GMT) off Yeonpyeong
Island, a flashpoint where inter-Korean sea battles have erupted in the
past, he said.
-
- The North Korean vessles had stayed in South Korean waters
for five hours and 11 minutes, Yoon said.
-
- The shots were aimed at preventing a sea battle with
North Korean troops, another military official said, adding North Korea's
navy showed "no particular movement".
-
- "The situation is now stable with North Korean navy
and fishing vessels staying in their territory," he said.
-
- South Korean navy boats have been on alert against North
Korean boats, which crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) border in the
Yellow Sea almost daily last week in search of crabs.
-
- The NLL, drawn by the US-led United Nations Command during
the 1950-53 Korean War, has served as a de-facto maritime border between
South and North Korea, but North Korea has never recognized it.
-
- The North's official media threatened South Korea with
"irrevocable serious consequences" last week, accusing South
Korean warships of violating North Korean waters.
-
- In response, South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun warned
that "special" care was needed to prevent incursions by North
Korean boats from sparking another sea battle.
-
- Disputes over the NLL and its surrounding rich fishing
grounds have led to two naval battles in recent years.
-
- An inter-Korean skirmish in June 1999 left up to 30 North
Koreans believed killed. A similar skirmish on June 29, 2002, in the area
left six South Korean soldiers dead and a patrol boat sunk.
-
- In November last year, a South Korean ship fired shots
at a Northern patrol boat.
-
- South Korean officials have said the North's sea border
violations this year appeared to be accidental.
-
- The latest incursion, however, fueled security jitters
as tensions are even higher now, nearly eight months into a stand-off over
North Korea's nuclear weapons drive.
-
- North Korea fired a barrage of shrill warnings against
South Korea and Japan last week, condemning US efforts to rally support
for its tough stance against Pyongyang's nuclear programme.
-
- The blast followed back-to-back summits between US President
George W. Bush and Roh and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who
supports stronger measures against North Korea.
-
- The US-led consensus for a tougher line has gained momentum
since Bush and Roh agreed at their May 14 summit that "further steps"
may be needed to end North Korea's nuclear drive.
-
- Pyongyang has accused Washington of planning a military
strike to resolve the nuclear crisis that began with the US disclosure
in October that North Korea had admitted to pursuing nuclear weapons despite
a 1994 accord to freeze its nuclear programme.
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