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North Korea plotted sea clash: Seoul
Seoul, July 07: North Korea spent several weeks plotting a sea clash with the rival South that has taken relations to their worst level in more than five years, Seoul officials said on Sunday.
Seoul, July 07: North Korea spent several weeks plotting a sea clash with the rival South that has taken relations to their worst level in more than five years, Seoul officials said on Sunday.
As the defence ministry released a report in which it admitted that the June 29 battle in the Yellow Sea had been badly handled by the South's navy, ministry spokesman Hwang Eui-Don said the communist North had "meticulously" planned the attack. According to some reports, North Korea wanted the clash, in which a South Korean patrol vessel was hit and sunk, to be revenge for the sinking of a North Korean boat on the same disputed frontier in 1999.
The ministry spokesman said the navy failed to react to signs of "unusual" movements by North Korean boats which crossed the sea frontier several times in June with their guns aimed at South Korean vessels.
"We concluded that the North made preparations for the attack throughout June," Hwang said, describing the sea battle as "a malicious provocation plotted meticulously by North Korea."
South Korea has admitted that its navy was told not to sink the North Korean vessel for fear of escalating tensions into a wider conflict.
But Hwang said intelligence information had shown the attack was intentional. In response to a question whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il approved the hostilities, the spokesman said: "We need more analysis to see who ordered the attack."
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) released details of its report into the clash which left four South Korean sailors dead, one missing and 19 wounded.
The South says more than 30 North Koreans were killed or wounded in the fierce gunbattle after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the disputed frontier, the Northern Limit Line (NLL), and opened fire after ignoring warnings to turn back.
The JCS report said North Korean patrol boats crossed the NLL five times in June. On June 11 and June 13 the boats crossed the line while North Korean fishing boats stayed in their own territory.
On the eve of the clash, two North Korean boats crossed the line in an apparent bid to test the South's response while the fishing boats again held back.
The report said the North Korean patrol boat and crew involved in the skirmish were also in the last firefight three years ago.
More than 30 North Korean sailors were believed to have been killed in the 1999 battle in which one North Korean torpedo vessel was sunk and others severely damaged.
Military officials said the vessel, the 215-tonne patrol boat Deungsan-got No. 684, crossed the NLL two days in a row before the fatal battle and stayed south of the line for several hours.
On June 29, it sailed eight km south of the NLL before the battle erupted, according to the officials.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Dong-Shin meanwhile reported to President Kim Dae-Jung on the inquiry on Saturday. Opposition and ruling parties have demanded the minister be sacked.
North Korea has admitted it suffered deaths in the fight, but has blamed the United States for the hostilities.
It said South Korean vessels had launched "pre-emptive strikes" on the North Korean vessels "under the patronage of the United States" which commands South Korean forces.
Both the 1999 clash and last weekend's incident occurred in the rich fishing field claimed by both Koreas. Bureau Report
As the defence ministry released a report in which it admitted that the June 29 battle in the Yellow Sea had been badly handled by the South's navy, ministry spokesman Hwang Eui-Don said the communist North had "meticulously" planned the attack. According to some reports, North Korea wanted the clash, in which a South Korean patrol vessel was hit and sunk, to be revenge for the sinking of a North Korean boat on the same disputed frontier in 1999.
The ministry spokesman said the navy failed to react to signs of "unusual" movements by North Korean boats which crossed the sea frontier several times in June with their guns aimed at South Korean vessels.
"We concluded that the North made preparations for the attack throughout June," Hwang said, describing the sea battle as "a malicious provocation plotted meticulously by North Korea."
South Korea has admitted that its navy was told not to sink the North Korean vessel for fear of escalating tensions into a wider conflict.
But Hwang said intelligence information had shown the attack was intentional. In response to a question whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il approved the hostilities, the spokesman said: "We need more analysis to see who ordered the attack."
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) released details of its report into the clash which left four South Korean sailors dead, one missing and 19 wounded.
The South says more than 30 North Koreans were killed or wounded in the fierce gunbattle after a North Korean patrol boat crossed the disputed frontier, the Northern Limit Line (NLL), and opened fire after ignoring warnings to turn back.
The JCS report said North Korean patrol boats crossed the NLL five times in June. On June 11 and June 13 the boats crossed the line while North Korean fishing boats stayed in their own territory.
On the eve of the clash, two North Korean boats crossed the line in an apparent bid to test the South's response while the fishing boats again held back.
The report said the North Korean patrol boat and crew involved in the skirmish were also in the last firefight three years ago.
More than 30 North Korean sailors were believed to have been killed in the 1999 battle in which one North Korean torpedo vessel was sunk and others severely damaged.
Military officials said the vessel, the 215-tonne patrol boat Deungsan-got No. 684, crossed the NLL two days in a row before the fatal battle and stayed south of the line for several hours.
On June 29, it sailed eight km south of the NLL before the battle erupted, according to the officials.
South Korean Defense Minister Kim Dong-Shin meanwhile reported to President Kim Dae-Jung on the inquiry on Saturday. Opposition and ruling parties have demanded the minister be sacked.
North Korea has admitted it suffered deaths in the fight, but has blamed the United States for the hostilities.
It said South Korean vessels had launched "pre-emptive strikes" on the North Korean vessels "under the patronage of the United States" which commands South Korean forces.
Both the 1999 clash and last weekend's incident occurred in the rich fishing field claimed by both Koreas. Bureau Report