DPRK and ROK Report Naval ViolationsKorean Central News Agency(KCNA) reported on November 15 that South Korean naval warships committed a serious military provocation on November 14 by illegally intruding into the territorial waters of the north side, according to military sources.The report said that at around 8:30 a.m. that day four naval warships intruded deep into the territorial waters of the north side west of Jangsan cape by sailing among several fishing boats. As a patrol boat of the navy of the Korean People's Army promptly sailed to the waters, the warships got ready for action after leaving the fishing boats behind. Three South Korean naval warships left Paekryong islet for the territorial waters of the north to join those warships, as if they had been waiting for the chance. Scared by the prompt sailing of the KPA naval patrol boat, those warships fled southward in a flurry. Similar intrusion into those territorial waters of the north side was committed on November 5, 6 and 13. The report stressed that all these grave military provocations committed against the north cannot be construed otherwise than deliberate and premeditated maneuvers of the South Korean military authorities to stop the situation from turning favorable. JoongAng Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper reported on November 16 that the South Korean military denied on Wednesday the North's allegations that navy patrol boats had penetrated into North Korean waters in the Yellow Sea. "As a North Korean patrol boat came near the Northern Limit Line, we responded with three navy vessels. But none crossed the line," a ministry official said. The Northern Limit Line is a neutral zone set up as a temporary sea border to avoid clashes between the two Koreas. The report said that a government source said that the Tuesday incident was "unlikely to have an effect on inter-Korean relations." |
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