Koreas clash in naval battle off their west coast: official

(ATTN: UPDATES with assessment on N. Korean damage, site, time)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The divided Koreas clashed Tuesday off their west
coast, with no South Korean casualties immediately reported while a North Korean
vessel apparently suffered damage, a South Korean defense official said.

"No South Korean casualties were immediately reported," the official said, adding
a North Korean patrol ship prompted the South Korean Navy to fire warning shots
after crossing the Northern Limit Line (NLL) where skirmishes turned bloody in
1999 and 2002.
"The North Koreans then fired back," he said, adding the clash occurred at 11:28
a.m. near Baekryeong island.
"The North appears to have suffered damage," the official said, declining to be
identified because the information was preliminary.
North Korea disputes the NLL, drawn by a U.S. general at the end of the 1950-53
Korean War that ended in a truce.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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