South Korean navy ship 'sinking near North'

A South Korean navy ship with about 100 personnel on board is sinking off the west coast near North Korea, possibly due to a torpedo attack, reports say.

The ship was sinking near Baengnyeong island, Yonhap news agency quoted navy officials as saying.

It also said the South Korean ship had fired shots toward an unidentified ship in the North. The incident has not been confirmed by government officials.

A rescue operation was said to be under way, amid fears for the sailors.

The 1,500-tonne ship began sinking about 2130 local time (1230 GMT).

The South Korean government has convened an emergency meeting, according to the officials.


PREVIOUS CLASHES
2009: One North Korean sailor killed in a naval battle
2002: Four South Korean sailors and an estimated 30 North Koreans killed in a naval battle
1999: At least 17 North Korean sailors believed killed in naval fire fight
1998: South Korea captures a North Korean mini-submarine in its waters
1996: A North Korean submarine runs aground in South Korean waters

The South Korean ministry of defence has not confirmed the reports of North Korean involvement.

The disputed sea boundary is a source of continuing tension, with incidents in January and February.

In January, North Korea fired artillery into the sea near the disputed maritime border, as part of a "military drill". South Korea returned fire, but no injuries were reported.

The following month, North Korea declared four areas near the sea border to be naval firing zones, according to the South Korean military, and deployed multiple rocket launchers close to the frontier.

Deadly naval clashes happened 1999, 2002 and the latest in November 2009 when a fire fight left a North Korean patrol boat in flames and one dead.

The South Korean vessel alleged that the North Korean vessel had crossed the disputed sea border - a charge North Korea denied.

South Korea recognises the Northern Limit Line, drawn unilaterally by the US-led United Nations Command to demarcate the sea border at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The line has never been accepted by North Korea.

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8589507.stm

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