Two Koreas exchange fire (2)
Two Koreas exchange fire (2)
10:04, November 11, 2009 
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'Confusing motives'
Tuesday's clash was regarded as "an accidental incident" by South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, who explained the situation to lawmakers at a parliamentary session.
Defense Minister Kim, however, said the military was not clear about the North's motive, as it was a confusing action to intrude with only one patrol boat despite several warning signals and shots.
South Korea's YTN television quoted military sources as saying the North's boat crossed the border while trying to stop illegal fishing by Chinese boats in the rich crab-fishing grounds.
"We can't verify the news. But we have long been tightening their management to crack down on illegal fishing in disputed areas," Xu Lejun, an official with the Bureau of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, told the Global Times.
The conflict comes as the two Koreas appeared to reconcile amid growing anticipation for bilateral talks between the US and North Korea to discuss ways to end Pyongyang's nuclear-weapons program.
Two Washington officials said Monday on condition of anonymity that Obama had decided, after months of deliberation, to send special envoy Stephen Bosworth to Pyongyang for talks focusing on resuming the six-nation talks, although no date for his trip had been set, according to US media reports.
"It might be the North's attempt to show the volatility of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang wants to put pressure on its South Korean counterparts through the US," said Piao Jianyi, a senior fellow at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
He added that the message by Pyongyang was that military tensions had not eased.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said the exchange of fire would not have a major impact on the outlook of dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.
"A bilateral meeting with the US is Pyongyang's prioritized foreign policy. But we cannot expect the North to be cautious over other issues to ensure such an engagement. The North is confident of securing a meeting with the US," Shi said.
There were no signs of unusual tension along the heavily armed land border separating the two Koreas.
Qiu Wei contributed to this story
[1] [2]
Tuesday's clash was regarded as "an accidental incident" by South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, who explained the situation to lawmakers at a parliamentary session.
Defense Minister Kim, however, said the military was not clear about the North's motive, as it was a confusing action to intrude with only one patrol boat despite several warning signals and shots.
South Korea's YTN television quoted military sources as saying the North's boat crossed the border while trying to stop illegal fishing by Chinese boats in the rich crab-fishing grounds.
"We can't verify the news. But we have long been tightening their management to crack down on illegal fishing in disputed areas," Xu Lejun, an official with the Bureau of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, told the Global Times.
The conflict comes as the two Koreas appeared to reconcile amid growing anticipation for bilateral talks between the US and North Korea to discuss ways to end Pyongyang's nuclear-weapons program.
Two Washington officials said Monday on condition of anonymity that Obama had decided, after months of deliberation, to send special envoy Stephen Bosworth to Pyongyang for talks focusing on resuming the six-nation talks, although no date for his trip had been set, according to US media reports.
"It might be the North's attempt to show the volatility of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang wants to put pressure on its South Korean counterparts through the US," said Piao Jianyi, a senior fellow at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
He added that the message by Pyongyang was that military tensions had not eased.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said the exchange of fire would not have a major impact on the outlook of dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.
"A bilateral meeting with the US is Pyongyang's prioritized foreign policy. But we cannot expect the North to be cautious over other issues to ensure such an engagement. The North is confident of securing a meeting with the US," Shi said.
There were no signs of unusual tension along the heavily armed land border separating the two Koreas.
Qiu Wei contributed to this story
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