June 12, 1999
Web posted at: 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT)

In this story: War of words Standoff involves rich fishing waters RELATED STORIES, SITES

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- North Korean ships re-entered contested waters Saturday after the communist country warned South Korea it may strike as a sea border standoff continued through a fifth day.

For its part, South Korea massed more destroyers, frigates and landing ships near the area after putting its 650,000-member military on heightened alert.

In choppy waters of the Yellow Sea, three to six North Korean patrol boats moved in and out of the disputed area throughout the day. South Korean ships moved in sudden, threatening spurts near the intruders, according to video footage released by the South Korean Defense Ministry.

The American-led U.N. Command, which oversees the fragile truce between the two countries, urged North Korea -- for a third time this week -- to hold a border military meeting to end the standoff.

"It's everyone's interest to reduce tensions," said command spokesman Col. Carl Kropf. The North has rejected two previous appeals.

War of words

North Korea issued a statement threatening the South if the tensions continued.

"The South Korean authorities must know that if they continue reckless provocations despite our repeated warnings, they will meet with our strong self-defensive strikes. There is a limit to patience," the statement from the U.N. truce village of Panmunjom, between the two Koreas, said.

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said his government would stand its ground.

"We are engaged in the standoff with a resolve to defend our sovereignty and territory," Kim was quoted as saying by his office.

Standoff involves rich fishing waters

The standoff escalated Friday when South Korean ships rammed several North Korean vessels, driving them back across the sea boundary. But no shots were fired.

North Korea has contested the sea border since the late 1970s, sending fishing boats and naval ships into the zone several times a year. But when challenged by South Korean patrol boats, they usually withdrew quickly.

This week, North Korean warships have been sailing in and out of the area since Tuesday, escorting a fleet of fishing vessels. A standoff ensued after the boats refused to leave for up to 18 hours.

Analysts say North Korea appears desperate to protect the fishing fleet as it is now peak season for catching crabs, which are exported by the North, providing one of the impoverished state's few sources of hard cash.

The two Koreas remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in an armed truce. The armistice signed by the U.N. Command and North Korea never outlined the border in the Yellow Sea off the western coast.

The disputed waters lie south of a U.N.-imposed sea border, midway between the North Korean mainland and five South Korean islands, 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Seoul.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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