S. Korea deploys guided-missile vessel along western sea border

SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea bolstered its naval defense capabilities
Tuesday along its western sea border with North Korea by deploying its first
guided-missile high-speed boat, the Navy said.
The deployment of the 440-ton Yun Yeong Ha comes as tension mounts in the Yellow
Sea after North Korea scrapped the 1950-53 Korean War truce and threatened the
safety of South Korean and U.S. naval vessels near the Northern Limit Line.
North Korea says the border should be drawn farther south. The two Koreas clashed
near the border island of Yeonpyeong in 1999 and 2002, resulting in the deaths of
dozens of soldiers on both sides.
The South Korean Navy said it has commissioned a survivor of the 1999 battle as
captain of the vessel, which was named after a lieutenant commander who was
killed in the 2002 clash.
The Yun Yeong Ha is equipped with guided missiles that can hit targets as far
away as 140 kilometers and a 40-millimeter gun that can fire 600 bullets per
minute, the Navy said in a statement.
The ship, partially coated with stealth technology, also has a 76-millimeter gun
that can hit targets up to 16 kilometers away and can travel at the speed of 40
knots or 74 kilometers per hour, it said.
"The ship is symbolic of the spirit our six fallen soldiers showed in the second
Yeonpyeong battle," Navy Chief of Staff Jung Ok-keun was quoted as saying of the
deployment.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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