ID :
43349
Fri, 01/30/2009 - 18:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/43349
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea vows strong action against N. Korea intrusions in Yellow Sea
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea pledged firm counteraction Friday against any attempt by North Korea to violate its contentious sea border, hours after Pyongyang raised tension by declaring it has scrapped all past military accords with Seoul.
"We will uphold the maritime border just as we maintain the military demarcation
line on land," Won Tae-jae, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense,
told reporters. "We'll respond resolutely to any intrusion."
Accusing South Korean President Lee Myung-bak of pushing inter-Korean relations
to the "brink of war," North Korea said earlier in the day it has nullified a
1992 agreement that recognizes a U.N.-drawn demarcation line in the Yellow Sea as
their de facto maritime border.
North Korea also said in a statement released through its official news agency
that it has scrapped all past reconciliation accords with the South, a strong
departure from its repeated calls for Seoul to honor their two past summit
agreements since 2000.
"An agreement reached between the Koreas cannot be scrapped just because one side
decides to scrap it," Won said. "We have stuck to it, and our stance remains the
same."
Won said no unusual activity has been observed since North Korea's renewed
threat. In 1999 and 2002, bloody naval skirmishes erupted near the maritime
border, called the Northern Limit Line (NLL). The boundary was drawn at the end
of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended without a formal peace treaty.
Soldiers guarding the NLL confirmed by phone there have been no signs of
aggression, and said they have been ordered to be on high alert.
"We are maintaining an elevated vigil, but nothing unusual has been spotted this
morning," said Park Jae-suk, a marine officer who serves on Yeonpyeong Island
just several kilometers south of the NLL. The island sits about 85 kilometers
from the nearest South Korean port city, Incheon, and 100 kilometers west of
Seoul.
The announcement by North Korea marks the second time the nuclear-armed state has
laid claim to the South Korean island and its surrounding area this year.
Pyongyang said on Jan. 17 that it would "shatter" any South Korean claim over the
sea border.
The 1999 clash is believed to have left dozens of North Koreans dead or wounded,
though South Korea incurred no casualties. The 2002 battle left six South Koreans
dead and 18 others wounded, while some 30 North Koreans were believed to be
either dead or wounded.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
"We will uphold the maritime border just as we maintain the military demarcation
line on land," Won Tae-jae, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense,
told reporters. "We'll respond resolutely to any intrusion."
Accusing South Korean President Lee Myung-bak of pushing inter-Korean relations
to the "brink of war," North Korea said earlier in the day it has nullified a
1992 agreement that recognizes a U.N.-drawn demarcation line in the Yellow Sea as
their de facto maritime border.
North Korea also said in a statement released through its official news agency
that it has scrapped all past reconciliation accords with the South, a strong
departure from its repeated calls for Seoul to honor their two past summit
agreements since 2000.
"An agreement reached between the Koreas cannot be scrapped just because one side
decides to scrap it," Won said. "We have stuck to it, and our stance remains the
same."
Won said no unusual activity has been observed since North Korea's renewed
threat. In 1999 and 2002, bloody naval skirmishes erupted near the maritime
border, called the Northern Limit Line (NLL). The boundary was drawn at the end
of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended without a formal peace treaty.
Soldiers guarding the NLL confirmed by phone there have been no signs of
aggression, and said they have been ordered to be on high alert.
"We are maintaining an elevated vigil, but nothing unusual has been spotted this
morning," said Park Jae-suk, a marine officer who serves on Yeonpyeong Island
just several kilometers south of the NLL. The island sits about 85 kilometers
from the nearest South Korean port city, Incheon, and 100 kilometers west of
Seoul.
The announcement by North Korea marks the second time the nuclear-armed state has
laid claim to the South Korean island and its surrounding area this year.
Pyongyang said on Jan. 17 that it would "shatter" any South Korean claim over the
sea border.
The 1999 clash is believed to have left dozens of North Koreans dead or wounded,
though South Korea incurred no casualties. The 2002 battle left six South Koreans
dead and 18 others wounded, while some 30 North Koreans were believed to be
either dead or wounded.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
