Source: DTN News / Int'l Media related article partial AP(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - May 16, 2010: TWO North Korean naval boats briefly crossed the tense western sea border with South Korea in the first such
violation since a South Korean warship sank in the area following a mysterious explosion in March, the South's military said Sunday.
A North Korean patrol boat sailed about 1.6 miles (2.8 kilometres) into the South-controlled waters on Saturday night but quickly retreated after a South Korean broadcast warning, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In less than an hour, another North Korean patrol boat intruded across the border but returned to its waters after another warning broadcast and two shots from the South Korean vessel, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity citing department policy. There were no injuries reported, he added.
The Korean maritime border is not clearly marked, and violations by North Korean military and fishing boats are not unusual. But Saturday's incursion marks the North's first border violation since the 1,200-ton South Korean warship went down near the area on March 26, killing 46 South Korean sailors. Seoul has not directly blamed North Korea for the sinking, and Pyongyang has denied involvement, but suspicion has focused on the North given its history of attacks.
The two Koreas remain technically locked in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953. Their navies fought three bloody sea battles near the disputed sea border since 1999.
South Korea has said it will take stern action against anyone responsible for the sinking - one of its worst maritime disasters. The government was to announce the results of its investigation in the coming week. On Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported that South Korean investigators have obtained unspecified evidence showing North Korea's involvement in the sinking. Yonhap citing an unidentified government source as saying South Korea's military was considering issuing an anti-North Korea statement after the investigation outcome is announced.
South Korea's Defence Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff said they could not confirm the report because the investigation was still under way.
violation since a South Korean warship sank in the area following a mysterious explosion in March, the South's military said Sunday.
A North Korean patrol boat sailed about 1.6 miles (2.8 kilometres) into the South-controlled waters on Saturday night but quickly retreated after a South Korean broadcast warning, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In less than an hour, another North Korean patrol boat intruded across the border but returned to its waters after another warning broadcast and two shots from the South Korean vessel, a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said on condition of anonymity citing department policy. There were no injuries reported, he added.
The Korean maritime border is not clearly marked, and violations by North Korean military and fishing boats are not unusual. But Saturday's incursion marks the North's first border violation since the 1,200-ton South Korean warship went down near the area on March 26, killing 46 South Korean sailors. Seoul has not directly blamed North Korea for the sinking, and Pyongyang has denied involvement, but suspicion has focused on the North given its history of attacks.
The two Koreas remain technically locked in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953. Their navies fought three bloody sea battles near the disputed sea border since 1999.
South Korea has said it will take stern action against anyone responsible for the sinking - one of its worst maritime disasters. The government was to announce the results of its investigation in the coming week. On Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported that South Korean investigators have obtained unspecified evidence showing North Korea's involvement in the sinking. Yonhap citing an unidentified government source as saying South Korea's military was considering issuing an anti-North Korea statement after the investigation outcome is announced.
South Korea's Defence Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff said they could not confirm the report because the investigation was still under way.
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