June 29th this year marks the tenth anniversary of the second Yeonpyeong naval battle. On June 29th, 2002, when the entire nation was enveloped in the Korea-Japan World Cup fever, two North Korean patrol boats near the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea abruptly opened fire on South Korea’s speedboat Chamsuri-357, which was patrolling the sea area. The attack provoked the South Korean Navy to return fire and the two sides exchanged gunfire. After a fierce gun battle that lasted about 30 minutes, the North Korean ships finally retreated, with one of them severely damaged and about 30 North Koreans believed to have been killed or wounded. The naval clash also claimed the lives of six South Korean sailors, including Lieutenant Commander Yoon Yeong-ha. Yonhap News Agency reporter Jang Yong-hun explains more about the maritime incident ten years ago.

The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup was underway at the time, when South Korea was in a festive mood. On the morning of June 29th, North Korean patrol boats crossed the Northern Limit Line into the South, 14 miles away from Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea. South Korean boat Chamsuri-357 approached to deter the infiltration, and confrontation between the two sides led to an exchange of gunfire. In fact, a similar inter-Korean sea battle occurred on the same waters in 1999. At that time, South Korean sailors were only slightly wounded while North Korean boats were heavily damaged. At the second Yeonpyeong naval battle in 2002, on the other hand, the South Korean side suffered many casualties since the North made a surprise attack when the South simply remained cautious without taking any special countermeasures.

Of the 29 sailors aboard the South Korean patrol ship, six were killed and 19 were injured. The inter-Korean naval skirmish was all the more shocking as it occurred only three years after the first such clash in June of 1999, when South Korea’s crackdown on North Korean boats’ illegal fishing of blue crabs escalated into a gunfight. Reporter Jang continues to explain.

It was an armed conflict between the navies of South and North Korea. It was a tragic incident, indeed, as six South Korean navy soldiers were killed. The first and second Yeonpyeong sea battles, as well as the ensuing inter-Korean armed clashes in the West Sea, remind us once again that the two Koreas are still in a ceasefire. It clearly shows that Korea looks peaceful now but no one knows how long this uneasy peace will last. It is a stark confirmation of the fact that South Korea needs to make efforts to improve inter-Korean relations and to safeguard peace through strong security.

The South Korean Navy deployed new vessels equipped with patrol killer guided missiles bearing the names of the South Korean sailors killed during the sea battle ten years ago and made public their training. The six state-of-the-art speed boats have a long-range strike capability and greater defense capability.

The Navy conducted a drill in the West Sea on June 14th mobilizing six speed boats named after the soldiers killed during the 2002 inter-Korean naval skirmish as well as warships and military planes. The drill carried a symbolic meaning that the six fallen soldiers will be revived as the vessels and carry out their mission of defending the maritime border in the West Sea again. The naval drill involved six speed boats equipped with guided missiles, a destroyer, a frigate, two patrol frigates and Air Force fighters. The drill was held on an assumed scenario that North Korea crossed the Northern Limit Line into the South again. The six speed boats, which participated in the maneuvers for the first time, bear the names of the sailors killed in the naval battle ten years ago—Yoon Yeong-ha, Han Sang-guk, Cho Chun-hyung, Hwang Do-hyun, Seo Hu-won and Park Dong-hyuk.

It’s been ten years since North Korea mounted the shocking provocation, but tension is still lingering between South and North Korea. Even after the maritime battle in 2002, North Korea continued to cross over the Northern Limit Line. In 2010, 46 South Korean sailors were killed due to the sinking of the naval vessel Cheonan. In November the same year, North Korean artillery bombarded Yeonpyeong Island, causing military and civilian casualties. So, why is North Korea constantly launching provocations near the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea?

There are two main reasons. First, there isn’t any maritime border on the West Sea, which was agreed upon by both South and North Korea. The Northern Limit Line is the sea boundary drawn by the United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War, with South Korean ships prohibited from crossing over the line into the North and vice versa. But the de-facto sea border has been a flash point for conflict between the two sides as it is not recognized by North Korea. Secondly, naval clashes occur quite often on the West Sea, since the area is rich in blue crabs and is therefore considered economically useful. It is the South Korean Navy’s duty to protect local fishing boats in the area. But North Korean fishing boats tend to sail down south during the blue crab season, often resulting in confrontation between the navies of South and North Korea.

In order to cope with North Korea’s repeated provocations, South Korea has been beefing up military strength in the West Sea border area and enhancing combat readiness. A new military command was set up in 2011 to protect the five frontline islands near the West Sea border, including Yeonpyeong and Baekryeong. In doing so, South Korea reinforced military personnel and equipment there to better respond to any possible North Korean provocations.

The Northwest Islands Defense Command combines the elements of the Army, Navy and Air Force in addition to the Marine Corps. It increased personnel related to intelligence and operations and installed new headquarters in charge of supporting air and naval operations. The commander of the Marine Corps was assigned to have a dual role as the chief of the new command, while a Marine Corps major general was named deputy commander. The nine-part command was also expanded to form a total of 77 military officers in joint staff—four from the Army, nine from the Navy, 8 from the Air Force and 56 from the Marine Corps. This is an increase of 40 personnel from the previous staff stationed under the Marine Corps. Also, the South Korean military has deployed additional weapons to the region, such as tanks, multiple launch rocket systems and new Artillery Hunting Radar, or ARTHUR. After building some defense facilities, including a hangar, the military also deployed Cobra attack helicopters and Lynx helicopters. Also installed in the region are K9 self-propelled howitzers, K10 ammunition carriers, hostile artillery location or HALO sound detection devices, daytime and nighttime observation equipment for monitoring the front, precision-guided bombs and tactical aerial vehicles.

To prevent armed clashes with North Korea and ensure regional security, experts stress the importance of improving defense capabilities in the West Sea area in the short term and restoring a pragmatic dialogue channel between the military authorities of the two Koreas over the long term. Marking the 10th anniversary of the second Yeonpyeong naval battle, we pay tribute to the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers. South Korea should make greater efforts for the sake of lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.


[Interview] Defector Couple’s Successful Resettlement
At a convenience store in Shinwol-dong in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, Kim Su-jin is greeting a customer with a smile. This convenience store is run by a married couple, Han Jun and Kim Su-jin, who are North Korean defectors. They came to South Korean penniless in 2006, but they are now running four convenience stores in Seoul. At first, the couple engaged in various jobs, such as responding to calls at a security company and working as clerks at a gas station. But the result wasn’t very good. After several failures, the couple turned their eyes to the wholesale and retail business. Here’s Kim Su-jin, the wife.

At first, we worked in a gas station and at a logistics company. But the salaries were not enough to make ends meet. We wondered what we would be good at. We finally came up with an idea of running a convenience store because customers simply choose what they want before paying for them so we don’t have to explain much with our awkward accent.

In 2007, the couple took over a 16.5-square-meter store in Yongin, Gyeonggi province. It was a small store with only a few customers and low sales. The couple worked hard from 7 in the morning till 2 a.m., breaking up their sleeping time. Fortunately, the number of customers began to increase and the business turned out well. As sales increased, the couple was able to open another store in Seoul, too. But it wasn’t easy for the defector couple from the socialist state to run a store, which is often challenging even for South Koreans. Let’s hear from Han Jun, the husband.

The most difficult part was our North Korean accent. Some customers ask us where we came from, wondering if we are ethnic Koreans from China. Obviously, customers didn’t like our accent. Also, things are very different here, compared to North Korea. I must treat the customers nicely, bowing my head ten times or 20 times, if necessary. I found it quite challenging.

Han and Kim crossed the Tumen River into China from North Hamgyeong Province with their six-year-old daughter and defected to South Korea in 2006. As the member of a youth association in North Korea, Han used to crack down on videos flowing in from South Korea or the U.S. His family belonged to the middle class, and he was financially stable. Because of his job, however, he became aware of South Korean culture better than anyone else. He realized North Korean society was so closed, while the outside world is fast changing. He decided to defect to South Korea for the future of his daughter.

When we escaped North Korea in 2006, North Koreans watched many South Korean TV soap operas, such as “Autumn in My Heart,” “Winter Sonata” and “All In.” Even now, South Korean movies, dramas and K-pop music videos are illegally smuggled into North Korea via China. While watching them, I found myself comparing South Korean society to the North Korean one and feeling disappointed with North Korean systems in spite of myself. Disappointment grew day after day, and I was worried that my family would be at risk in this country some day. Also, I came to hope to show a wider outside world to my six-year-old daughter. So, we all crossed the Tumen River to escape North Korea in 2006.

Here in South Korea, Han and Kim engage in various activities other than running convenience stores, to do something more meaningful. Among others, they opened a Website, nkdodream.com, in which North Korean newcomers can share information on various subjects and the couple’s experience of starting their own business. It also arranges meetings between South Korean men and North Korean women defectors. It is said the Website dedicated to the North Korean expatriates’ community enjoys huge popularity. As such, Han and Kim have taken root here in South Korea successfully, thanks to their great diligence and kindness. Their valuable experiences will surely give hope and courage to many more defectors from North Korea.