Attack fears as South Korean naval ship sinks

A SOUTH Korean naval ship sank near the disputed maritime border with North Korea yesterday, prompting the South’s military to rush vessels to the site to rescue its sailors and raising fears of an attack by the North.

The ship, which was on a routine patrolling mission with 104 crewmembers on board, began sinking off the coast of South Korean-controlled Baengnyeong Island close to North Korea around 8.45am ET, Rear Adm. Lee Ki-sik of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters late yesterday.

Lee said an unexplained hole in the bottom of the ship caused the vessel to take on water.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the ship was damaged by an explosion, and said the military had not ruled out the possibility of an attack by North Korea.

A rescue mission was under way.

Officials told Yonhap that there were some deaths among the sailors but they did not specify the number of people.

The military, meanwhile, moved to strengthen its vigilance near the maritime border, which is the site of three bloody naval clashes between the warring Koreas.

The divided peninsula remains in a state of war because of the fact that the three-year Korean conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953.

Earlier North Korea’s military threatened “unpredictable strikes,” including a nuclear attack, in anger over a report that South Korea and the US were preparing for possible instability in the totalitarian country.

After the ship began sinking, South Korean president Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting of security-related ministers, including the defence minister and other top military officials.

After three hours, they agreed to meet again today without making any statement about the cause of the incident, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.

Lee ordered the military to focus on the rescue, he said.

Six naval ships and two coast guard vessels rushed to save the crew, Yonhap said. Rescue helicopters and ambulances also sped to the scene, military officials reported.

A naval official told Yonhap there were deaths among the sailors, and the cable network YTN said some 40 crew members were missing following the accident.

However, military officials told the Associated Press they could not confirm any deaths, and they said 58 sailors had been rescued, with two being airlifted for emergency medical treatment.

Yonhap reported earlier that a South Korean ship fired shots towards an unidentified target in the direction of North Korea, raising fears of an exchange of gunfire.

The military official confirmed that South Korean torops fired shots but said the object detected by radar may have been a flock of birds.

Senior government officials told South Korean media the ship may not have been the target of an attack, but could have struck a rock or been impaired by an explosive on board.

Baeknyeong Island, which is four hours by boat from the port of Incheon, is the westernmost point of South Korea and is a key military post for South Korea because of its proximity to North Korea.