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DPRK Ships Allowed Conditioned Passage Through S.Korean Strait
South Korea has decided to allow ships from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to pass through its Cheju Straight if they seek prior permission from the South, the Ministry of Defense said Monday.
The decision was made during an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday, presided over by Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, after three DPRK cargo ships passed through the strait.
The DPRK authorities should take necessary steps, such as giving prior notice or applying for permission from the South, to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, a defense ministry spokesman said.
However, the council also decided to take stern measures if a DPRK ship trespasses in Southern seas without prior permission, said the spokesman.
The DPRK vessels, identified as the 13,000 ton Chongjin 2, the 6,700 ton Yonggunbong and the 2,700 ton Paekmagang, violated South Korean waters, passing through the strait Sunday, said the Defense
Ministry.
South Korean Navy's reconnaissance aircraft and patrol ships were dispatched to force the ships out of South Korean waters, but the sailors on the DPRK ships claimed the right to pass through the Cheju Strait, which they said is open to commercial traffic in accordance with the international law of the seas.
It was the first time that DPRK' large freight ships crossed South Korean waters without prior permit.
South Korea allows foreign cargo vessels to pass through the strait without prior notification but prohibits DPRK ones from doing so.
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