South Korean Navy Ship Sinks in Waters Near North Korea

[Arrogance]

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)—
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1


South Korea's military scrambled naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with rival North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said.


The ship, on a routine patrolling mission with 104 crew members on board, began sinking off the coast of South Korean-controlled Baengnyeong Island close to North Korea around 9:45 p.m. (1245 GMT, 9:45 a.m. EDT), an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.


South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported an explosion in the rear of the 1,200-ton ship and said the military had not ruled out the possibility of an attack by North Korea. However, the military official said the exact cause was not immediately clear and said he could not confirm the Yonhap report.


A rescue mission was under way and the military moved to strengthen its vigilance near the maritime border, the site of three bloody naval clashes in the past between the warring Koreas. The divided peninsula remains in a state of war because the three-year Korean conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953.


Earlier Friday, North Korea's military threatened "unpredictable strikes," including a nuclear attack, in anger over a report that South Korea and the U.S. were preparing for possible instability in the totalitarian country.


After the ship began sinking, President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency meeting of security-related ministers, Yonhap said, citing presidential spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye. She said it wasn't clear yet whether North Korea was involved in the ship's demise.


Six naval ships and two coast guard vessels were rushed to the waters to save the crew, Yonhap said. Rescue helicopters and ambulances also sped to the scene, the military official said. By 12:30 a.m. Saturday (1430 GMT, 10:30 a.m. EDT Friday), with the ship nearly submerged, 58 of the soldiers had been rescued, the official said. There were no immediate confirmation of any casualties.
Yonhap reported earlier that a South Korean ship fired shots toward an unidentified target in the direction of North Korea. The military official confirmed that shots were fired but said the object detected by radar may have been a flock of birds.


Baeknyeong Island, 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 the North.



Associated Press writers Jean H. Lee and Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report.



Seems like an already tense situation will be getting worse

[Donald Aquilano]

Here's another article on this subject....

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62P30E20100327

They seem to be downplaying that North Korea had something to do with it.

[Arrogance]

Seems like the situation has heated back up

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100524/...rea_ship_sinks

[tekz999]

Stop what you are doing kim jong ill. I hate war.

[draggar]

Stop what you are doing kim jong ill. I hate war.

It's all a big game of counting coup - sadly lives were lost this time.

Even China doesn't seem to be backing them as much as they used to.

[south]

Seems like the situation has heated back up

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100524/...rea_ship_sinks

The U.S. and South Korea are planning two major military exercises off the Korean Peninsula in a display of force intended "to deter future aggression" by North Korea, the White House said.

Oh boy...

[Seraphim]

South Korea is a great country. I hope they all stay safe.

[Gerry]

Hopefully China will man up and stop Kim Jong-il from flipping out further...

China is key in this regard. They must come out and condemn this and put Kim on a leash.

---------- Post added at 10:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 AM ----------

Not Good!

Just saw this on MSNBC

BREAKING NEWS: N. Korea to sever all ties with Seoul, expel S. Koreans working at joint venture

[Seraphim]

Imagine if the shit actually hit the fan... our economy is in steep decline, our troops are stretched thin across a volatile Middle East, and we've got a ultra corrupt President with the leadership skills of a drunken chimpanzee... Perhaps Obama would let BP help out South Korea in a potential conflict...

[Acro]

Business as usual for the North Koreans. It's amazing how a handful of individuals running a country can **** it up for several million people living below world average.

[Gerry]

It's amazing how a handful of individuals running a country can **** it up for several million people living below world average.

That is something that has always amazed me.

The overwhelming majority has no earthly idea what is outside of their own country.

[draggar]

Business as usual for the North Koreans. It's amazing how a handful of individuals running a country can **** it up for several million people living far below world average.

Edited for accuracy. I think NK has one of the poorest civilian populations in the world. Kim has been pushing and pushing for decades - he's pushed too far now. China needs to step up, too.

Edit: He's not just messing with his own people, he's messing with the entire world.

That is something that has always amazed me.

The overwhelming majority has no earthly idea what is outside of their own country.

Yep and all they know about is what they're taught in their "schools" as well as the severely biased (state run) news agencies.

Yes, our news agencies are biased, too, but at least we can choose to get it from different perspectives as well as an internation perspective.

I'm glad I'm getting too old to be drafted but if they get desperate then I'm also out of shape. But if called, I will serve (and insist they make me a K9 handler since I do have a lot of experience with hard-core working dogs).

[Gerry]

as the severely biased (state run) news agencies.

I can not imagine living in such a closed society.

The country is repeatedly ravished by famine because the governments focus is, and always has been, on its military strength.

As for the citizens, all they know is what they have been taught and seen and there is no gray areas.

[Arrogance]

Pretty good cumulative article
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,7545974.story

This is also causing huge losses in the Asian market
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37326495

Seems like piling on now with the eurozone trouble, bp spill not contained etc

[Banned: dn-101]

This episode is all that needed to start a new war.
The sinking in Tonkin - Tonkin Gulf Incident which precipitated American involvement in Viet-nam war

[Gerry]

Chinese Vow to Be Impartial on Korean Crisis
By CHOE SANG-HUN
Published: May 28, 2010

SEOUL, South Korea — Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China promised on Friday that Beijing “will not protect anyone” once it has concluded who was responsible for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

Read On

[CureCancer]

North will use Nukes... then what? South and America will strike back with Nukes?

[Mike Cruz]

North will use Nukes... then what? South and America will strike back with Nukes?

All that needs to happen there is nations need to get together (China specifically) and force a inspection to remove his Nukes, try to be as preventive as possible from war, if he does not comply, let the nations who have a problem with him, deal with it. We as USA, have to stop trying to be Heroes and deal with our own problems.

Who does this guy remind you of? Does Saddam Hussein come to mind?

[Gerry]

Yeah, good luck not getting China involved in a war.

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, good luck not getting China involved in a war.

Yeah, but who are they going to be helping... lol