ID :
72991
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 20:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/72991
The shortlink copeid
(4th LD) S. Korean fishing boat towed to N. Korean port: officials
(ATTN: RECASTS lead, headline; UPDATES with S. Korean vessel entering N. Korean
port, REFLECTS revised details on previous incidents by officials in para 5)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean fishing vessel was hauled to a North
Korean port after straying across the East Sea border and being seized by a North
Korean patrol boat, officials said.
The 29-ton South Korean boat "800," carrying four crewmembers, "was tugged to the
port of Jangjon at 9:30 a.m.," Lee Bung-woo, a defense ministry spokesperson in
Seoul, told reporters.
"The satellite navigation system on the boat appears to have malfunctioned," he
said, adding it crossed about seven miles into North Korean waters when it was
seized around 6:30 a.m.
The malfunction was reported by a crewmember on the boat, the official said. He
could not say what other details were discussed or whether messages were still
being sent to the South.
The incident marks the third time since 2005 that a South Korean fishing boat has
been seized by North Korean authorities. The two previous boats, which also
strayed across the boundary, were released after five and nearly 19 days,
respectively, according to officials.
The latest crossing comes as relations between the two Koreas have fallen to one
of their lowest points in history. The countries remain technically at war after
the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
South Korean patrol boats were operating in the area when the fishing boat,
skippered by a man only identified by his last name Park, crossed the border, a
Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said.
"The ship was out of the reach of our radars when it crossed the Northern Limit
Line (NLL)," the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, Park Sung-woo said.
The vessel departed from the port of Geojin on South Korea's eastern coast at
1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and sailed past the Northern Limit Line (NLL), as far as
20 miles off the port of Jejin, officials said.
Geojin is about 150km northeast of Seoul and 15km south of the Demilitarized Zone
that divides the Koreas.
"We are pushing for its release," Lee said, adding South Korean authorities have
sent a message calling on North Korea to immediately return the ship "for
humanitarian reasons."
North Korea responded by saying that it will look into the situation.
The fishing boat, which was operating in the East Sea and mainly fishes for
squid, was scheduled to return home Friday morning, he said.
The NLL was drawn in 1953 by an American commander of U.N. forces that fought on
the South Korean side in the Korean War.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
port, REFLECTS revised details on previous incidents by officials in para 5)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean fishing vessel was hauled to a North
Korean port after straying across the East Sea border and being seized by a North
Korean patrol boat, officials said.
The 29-ton South Korean boat "800," carrying four crewmembers, "was tugged to the
port of Jangjon at 9:30 a.m.," Lee Bung-woo, a defense ministry spokesperson in
Seoul, told reporters.
"The satellite navigation system on the boat appears to have malfunctioned," he
said, adding it crossed about seven miles into North Korean waters when it was
seized around 6:30 a.m.
The malfunction was reported by a crewmember on the boat, the official said. He
could not say what other details were discussed or whether messages were still
being sent to the South.
The incident marks the third time since 2005 that a South Korean fishing boat has
been seized by North Korean authorities. The two previous boats, which also
strayed across the boundary, were released after five and nearly 19 days,
respectively, according to officials.
The latest crossing comes as relations between the two Koreas have fallen to one
of their lowest points in history. The countries remain technically at war after
the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
South Korean patrol boats were operating in the area when the fishing boat,
skippered by a man only identified by his last name Park, crossed the border, a
Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman said.
"The ship was out of the reach of our radars when it crossed the Northern Limit
Line (NLL)," the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, Park Sung-woo said.
The vessel departed from the port of Geojin on South Korea's eastern coast at
1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and sailed past the Northern Limit Line (NLL), as far as
20 miles off the port of Jejin, officials said.
Geojin is about 150km northeast of Seoul and 15km south of the Demilitarized Zone
that divides the Koreas.
"We are pushing for its release," Lee said, adding South Korean authorities have
sent a message calling on North Korea to immediately return the ship "for
humanitarian reasons."
North Korea responded by saying that it will look into the situation.
The fishing boat, which was operating in the East Sea and mainly fishes for
squid, was scheduled to return home Friday morning, he said.
The NLL was drawn in 1953 by an American commander of U.N. forces that fought on
the South Korean side in the Korean War.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
