2nd Battle of the Western Sea
Encyclopedia
The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong was a confrontation at sea between North Korea
n and South Korea
n patrol boats along a disputed maritime boundary
near Yeonpyeong
Island in the Yellow Sea
in 2002. This followed a similar confrontation in 1999. Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the contested border and engaged two South Korean patrol boats. The North Koreans withdrew before South Korean reinforcements arrived.
is considered by South Korea as the sea boundary between itself and North Korea, while North Korea disagrees and states that the boundary is farther south. North Korean fishing vessels often wander into the area and are frequently chased away by South Korean patrol vessels. Occasionally a North Korean patrol tries to enforce its southern claim by traversing the limit line. In 2002 one such incursion turned into a naval battle along the limit line.
crossed the northern limit line and was warned to turn back. Shortly afterward a second patrol craft crossed the line and it too was warned to retreat back across the line. The North Korean boats began threatening and harassing the South Korean vessels following them. After traveling three miles south past the limit line, the North Korean vessels attacked the two South Korean patrol boats that had been monitoring them. At 10:25 The vessel that had crossed the line first opened fire with its 85mm gun and scored a direct hit on the wheelhouse of one of the South Korean craft causing several casualties. The two squadrons then began a general engagement with the South Koreans using their 40 and 30 mm guns against the North Korean RPGs, 85mm, and 35mm guns. After about ten minutes two more patrol boats and two corvettes soon reinforced the South Korean vessels and severely damaged one of the North Korean craft. Now heavily outnumbered and taking casualties the North Korean vessels were forced to retreat back across the Limit Line at 10:59.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n patrol boats along a disputed maritime boundary
Maritime boundary
Maritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...
near Yeonpyeong
Yeonpyeong
Yeonpyeong Island or Yeonpyeongdo is a group of South Korean islands in the Yellow Sea, located about west of Incheon and south of the coast of Hwanghae Province, North Korea. The main island of the group is Daeyeonpyeongdo , also referred to simply as Yeonpyeong Island, with an area of and a...
Island in the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
in 2002. This followed a similar confrontation in 1999. Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the contested border and engaged two South Korean patrol boats. The North Koreans withdrew before South Korean reinforcements arrived.
Background
The Northern Limit LineNorthern Limit Line
The Northern Limit Line or North Limit Line is a disputed inter-Korea maritime demarcation line in the Yellow Sea between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on the north, and the Republic of Korea on the south...
is considered by South Korea as the sea boundary between itself and North Korea, while North Korea disagrees and states that the boundary is farther south. North Korean fishing vessels often wander into the area and are frequently chased away by South Korean patrol vessels. Occasionally a North Korean patrol tries to enforce its southern claim by traversing the limit line. In 2002 one such incursion turned into a naval battle along the limit line.
Engagement
On June 29, 2002 a North Korean patrol boatPatrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
crossed the northern limit line and was warned to turn back. Shortly afterward a second patrol craft crossed the line and it too was warned to retreat back across the line. The North Korean boats began threatening and harassing the South Korean vessels following them. After traveling three miles south past the limit line, the North Korean vessels attacked the two South Korean patrol boats that had been monitoring them. At 10:25 The vessel that had crossed the line first opened fire with its 85mm gun and scored a direct hit on the wheelhouse of one of the South Korean craft causing several casualties. The two squadrons then began a general engagement with the South Koreans using their 40 and 30 mm guns against the North Korean RPGs, 85mm, and 35mm guns. After about ten minutes two more patrol boats and two corvettes soon reinforced the South Korean vessels and severely damaged one of the North Korean craft. Now heavily outnumbered and taking casualties the North Korean vessels were forced to retreat back across the Limit Line at 10:59.
Aftermath
Both the North Korean and South Korean flotillas took casualties from the action. Thirteen North Koreans were killed and twenty five wounded while four South Korean sailors died and nineteen were injured. The damaged South Korean craft later sank while under tow, while the damaged North Korean vessel was able to limp its way back to port. Both sides laid blame on each other and South Korea demanded an apology from North Korea.See also
- First battle of Yeonpyeong
- Battle of DaecheongBattle of DaecheongThe Battle of Daecheong was a skirmish between the South Korean and North Korean navies near the Northern Limit Line on 10 November 2009 off Daecheong Island...
- ROKS Cheonan sinkingROKS Cheonan sinkingThe ROKS Cheonan sinking occurred on 26 March 2010, when the Cheonan, a South Korean Navy ship carrying 104 personnel, sank off the country's west coast near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 seamen...
- Shelling of Yeonpyeong