Kin of slain S. Korean sailors seek compensation: reportSeoul (AFP) June 26, 2012 - Families of South Korean sailors killed in a battle with North Korea in 2002 are suing the South's former military leaders for alleged negligence, a report said Tuesday.
The battle erupted on June 29, 2002, when two of the North's patrol boats crossed the disputed Yellow Sea border. Six South Korean sailors were killed and 18 injured while an estimated 13 North Koreans died.
Twelve family members and surviving sailors have filed suit seeking up to 630 million won ($544,000) each in compensation from 12 former military leaders including then-defence minister Kim Dong-Shin, Yonhap news agency said.
They accuse them of failing to swiftly deliver military intelligence to frontline units.
The plaintiffs say Kim and others had detected unusual movements by the North's military through monitoring communications but failed to relay such information accurately to field units, according to Yonhap.
The agency quoted legal industry sources for its information. The defence ministry declined to comment, calling it a private matter.
The western maritime border also saw bloody clashes between surface ships in 1999 and 2009.
In 2010 Seoul accused its neighbour of torpedoing a warship near the border on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives.
The North denied responsibility for the sinking but shelled a South Korean border island in November 2010, killing four people.
South Korea's navy is to build an advance base on a frontline island to bolster defences near the disputed Yellow Sea border with North Korea, officials said Tuesday.
The navy has been given local government approval to reclaim 23,489 square metres (250,000 square feet) at Baengnyeong island to build the base, said an official at Incheon city, west of Seoul, which oversees the islands.
The defence ministry said the navy would build a dock for small warships but declined to give details.
Yonhap news agency said the new base would include barracks and a training ground and accommodate about 100 troops. It would be completed by the end of 2014 at a cost of 42.5 billion won ($36.6 million).
Baengnyeong is one of five South Korean islands near the boundary drawn by United Nations forces after the 1950-53 war. Pyongyang refuses to accept the line and insists it should be moved southwards.
The border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009. In November 2010 the North shelled one of the five islands, Yeonpyeong, and killed four South Koreans including two civilians.
The South has since strengthened manpower and weaponry on the islands to forestall any fresh attack. North Korea has reportedly completed a base for troop-carrying hovercraft at Koampo, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Baengnyeong.
Source :AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment