President calls emergency meeting of security ministers over naval clash

(ATTN: UPDATES with president's remarks in the lead, remarks from a Cheong Wa Dae
official)
By Byun Duk-kun

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak told the military Tuesday to
maintain calm, asking it to ensure that a naval clash with North Korea does not
develop into a worsening situation, his senior secretary said.
Convening an emergency meeting of security-related ministers immediately after
being told of the skirmish off the west coast, Lee called Defense Minister Kim
Tae-young.
"The president instructed the military to react decisively, yet calmly to make
sure the situation does not further deteriorate," Lee Dong-kwan, a senior
secretary to the president for public relations, said in a statement.
The security ministers' meeting largely focused on the impact Tuesday's clash
will have on inter-Korean relations, according to the Cheong Wa Dae official.
The armed clash erupted shortly after 11:30 a.m. in what Seoul's Prime Minister
Chung Un-chan characterized as an "accidental" clash.
"Today's clash took place as the North Korean side disregarded our verbal
warnings and warning shots and directly attacked our speedboats," the prime
minister said while answering questions at a parliamentary interpellation
session.
"It was an accidental clash, so we ask the people to have confidence in our
military and government and carry on with their daily lives as usual," he said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)