07/10/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09997

NORTH KOREA PROVOKES CLASH

On June 29^th, a North Korean patrol boat opened fire on a South Korean military vessel in the disputed area of the Yellow Sea that forms the maritime border between North and South Korea. In the battle that followed, the North Korean patrol boat was heavily damaged and a South Korean patrol boat was sunk. Four South Korean sailors were killed, nineteen were wounded, and one was reported missing. North Korean casualties are estimated at thirty dead or wounded.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said it was "pretty clear" that the North Korean ship that launched the attack "came south into areas that are beyond the projection of the demilitarized zone." By this action, he said, North Korea was "in violation of the armistice," that ended the Korean War nearly half a century ago. The United States, he said, has "every reason to believe" that the North Korean ship started the clash. Rear Admiral Bae Sang-gi [bay sahng-gee]of the South Korean Navy called it a "surprise attack by the North Korean military." The attack was "deliberate and planned in detail in advance," he said.

The day before the attack, two North Korean warships entered South Korean waters. It was the tenth such violation of South Korea's borders by North Korea this year. In June 1999, repeated incursions by North Korean naval forces sparked a fierce battle in which a North Korean torpedo boat was sunk and two other warships were seriously damaged.

North Korea's reckless action was one of the reasons the United States canceled proposed talks with North Korea on July 10^th. The naval clash points up the urgent need for reducing tensions between Communist North Korea and democratic South Korea.

The U.S. and its allies are concerned about several things. North Korea's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. North Korea's export of ballistic missile technology to state sponsors of terrorism, such as Iran and Syria. North Korea's massive troop deployment along its border with South Korea. North Korea's record of support for international terrorism.

The U.S. calls on North Korea to refrain from further provocations. Such actions threaten the peace and stability of the region.