ID :
51402
Thu, 03/19/2009 - 17:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/51402
The shortlink copeid
N. Korean ships to resume sailing S. Korean strait
SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korean commercial ships will resume sailing through a South Korean strait once a U.S.-South Korean military exercise ends this week, a Seoul spokesman said Thursday.
Under a 2005 inter-Korean shipping treaty, North Korean commercial boats can use
the strait off South Korea's southern island of Jeju to cut short their routes.
They are, however, asked to stay away for safety reasons while the annual joint
military drill takes place in the Jeju region.
The safety measure equally applies to ships from other countries.
"We sent a fax message to North Korea to refrain from sailing in this region as
there are concerns about their safety," Unification Ministry spokesperson Lee
Jong-joo said.
North Korean and foreign ships were asked to avoid the passage during the last
six days of the March 9-20 drill, she said.
"North Korea received the message and did not ask for approval for passage during
this March 15-20 period," the spokesperson said. "It is a routine process."
South Korea and the U.S. this week wrap up the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle drill
they have staged in and around South Korea to test combat capabilities in the
event North Korea invades.
Passage of North Korean ships will resume on Sunday as their country sent a fax
message on Wednesday saying nine commercial boats are seeking to pass through the
Jeju strait, officials said.
The fax channel is a maritime affairs line the Koreas operate for the safety of
commercial vessels. They also have an aviation communication channel.
No official inter-Korean military channel remains after the North cut off the
remaining one last week to protest the joint military drill, which it calls a
preparation for invasion. Several other official channels were severed as
political relations deteriorated last year.
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said that South Korea will continue to open its
sea routes to North Korea despite the North's recent border closures.
North Korea banned border crossings twice last week, suspending traffic to a
joint industrial complex in the communist state where more than 93 South Korean
firms operate. The North, which did not offer an explanation for the measures,
normalized border traffic on Tuesday.
"Our position remains unchanged that we will guarantee the safety of North Korean
vessels passing through the Jeju strait," Hyun told a parliamentary committee on
Wednesday.
Under a 2005 inter-Korean shipping treaty, North Korean commercial boats can use
the strait off South Korea's southern island of Jeju to cut short their routes.
They are, however, asked to stay away for safety reasons while the annual joint
military drill takes place in the Jeju region.
The safety measure equally applies to ships from other countries.
"We sent a fax message to North Korea to refrain from sailing in this region as
there are concerns about their safety," Unification Ministry spokesperson Lee
Jong-joo said.
North Korean and foreign ships were asked to avoid the passage during the last
six days of the March 9-20 drill, she said.
"North Korea received the message and did not ask for approval for passage during
this March 15-20 period," the spokesperson said. "It is a routine process."
South Korea and the U.S. this week wrap up the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle drill
they have staged in and around South Korea to test combat capabilities in the
event North Korea invades.
Passage of North Korean ships will resume on Sunday as their country sent a fax
message on Wednesday saying nine commercial boats are seeking to pass through the
Jeju strait, officials said.
The fax channel is a maritime affairs line the Koreas operate for the safety of
commercial vessels. They also have an aviation communication channel.
No official inter-Korean military channel remains after the North cut off the
remaining one last week to protest the joint military drill, which it calls a
preparation for invasion. Several other official channels were severed as
political relations deteriorated last year.
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said that South Korea will continue to open its
sea routes to North Korea despite the North's recent border closures.
North Korea banned border crossings twice last week, suspending traffic to a
joint industrial complex in the communist state where more than 93 South Korean
firms operate. The North, which did not offer an explanation for the measures,
normalized border traffic on Tuesday.
"Our position remains unchanged that we will guarantee the safety of North Korean
vessels passing through the Jeju strait," Hyun told a parliamentary committee on
Wednesday.
