North Korea warned Friday that it will take "merciless military measures" to draw a new inter-Korean border in the West Sea and South Korea will pay dearly for a recent naval skirmish there, according to Yonhap News.
The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the North's military sent a letter to the South, warning that North Korea will take those measures to maintain its border in waters off the west coast from "this moment on," Yonhap said.
The South Korean military has been on high alert since an inter-Korean naval clash occurred Nov. 10 along the West Sea border.
The skirmish was the first armed naval clash between the two Koreas in seven years. Navy vessels of the two sides exchanged fire for roughly two minutes.
A North Korean patrol boat retreated in flames, while South Korea suffered no serious damage or causalities, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In June 1999, the two navies engaged in their first bout, during which seven South Korean crewmen were wounded and two North Korean warships were destroyed.
Another major skirmish occurred in June 2002 during the Korea-Japan World Cup. Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the Northern Limit Line and opened fired on a South Korean patrol boat, killing six South Korean sailors and wounding 19. About 30 North Koreans were presumed to have been killed in the 20-minute battle.
jckim@koreatimes.co.kr
