Four S.Koreans Killed, 18 Hurt in Clash with DPRK

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, June 30, 2002

Four S.Koreans Killed, 18 Hurt in Clash with DPRK

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Four South Korean navy men were killed and 18 wounded in a clash with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) patrol boats on Saturday off the west coast of the divided peninsula, South Korea said.

One South Korean vessel was sunk in the clash in the Yellow Sea, the defense ministry said.

South Korea has been co-hosting the World Cup soccer finals and the South Korean team is due to hold its last match in the southern city of Taegu on Saturday evening.

"Four South Korean personnel were killed, 18 were injured and one is missing," South Korean defense ministry official Lieutenant General Lee Sang-hee told a news conference.

"A North Korean patrol ship started shooting at around 10:25 (0125 GMT)...one of our navy vessels sank," he said.

The official said there were 27 navy personnel on the vessel that sank.

Two DPRK patrol ships briefly crossed the disputed maritime border -- the so-called Northern Limit Line -- 40 km (25 miles) west of Yeonpyongdo, an island off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, the ministry said in a statement.

The official said the two DPRK boats had returned to their waters after the clash.

DPRK Accuses S.Korea of grave provocation in clash

DPRK accused South Korean military authorities of provocation, saying the exchange of fire between the two sides on the Yellow Sea Saturday morning was a planned military provocative action by the military authorities in South Korea.

A report broadcast by the Korean Central News Agency and Pyongyang Radio at 16:00 local time (0900 GMT) said that navies ofthe DPRK and South Korea exchanged fire on the Yellow Sea at around 10:10 local time (0110 GMT) on Saturday.

Quoting a military source, the report said South Korean fleet and more than 10 fishing boats intruded into the territorial waters of the DPRK to the southwest of Yonpyong Island in the Yellow Sea and fired at the DPRK People's Navy on a regular guard mission.

South Korean soldiers fired hundreds of rounds of gunfire at the DPRK People's Navy, which had to resort to self-defense to prevent further military provocative acts from the South Korean side, the report said.

It noted that the battle inflicted losses, but did not give details of casualties.

The "grave military provocation" by the South Korean military authorities was meant to aggravate the improving North-South relationship, it said.

The military authorities of South Korea could by no means shirk the responsibility for the military provocative action and should restrain from reckless actions, the report added.

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