North and South Korea in an exchange of fire at sea

Published on Tuesday 10 November 2009 08:31

NORTH and South Korea briefly exchanged naval fire today along their disputed western sea border, with a North Korean ship suffering heavy damage before retreating.

South Korean military officials said there were no South Korean casualties. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties on the North Korean side. Each side blamed the other for violating the sea border.

"It's a regrettable incident," South Korean Commodore Lee Ki-sik said. "We are sternly protesting to North Korea and urging it to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents."

North Korea's military issued a statement blaming South Korea for the clash, saying its ships crossed into North Korean territory. North Korea demanded an apology, according to a statement carried on the official Korean Central News Agency.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who convened an emergency security meeting, ordered his defence minister to strengthen military readiness.

The clash – the first of its in kind in seven years – occurred as US officials said President Barack Obama has decided to send a special envoy to Pyongyang for rare direct talks.