Navy clashes raise concerns

SEOUL, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The clash between the navies of the two Koreas involved a 215-ton North Korean vessel and two 130-ton South Korean navy boats, South Korean officials said.

Tuesday's clash off the Peninsula's west coast was brief but there was heavy firing after the North Korean vessel ventured across the sea border called the Northern Limit Line, The New York Times reported, quoting the officials. The North has never accepted the NLL, drawn by the United Nations at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Both sides have blamed each other for the clash in which there were no South Koreas casualties. The North, calling the incident an "armed provocation," demanded an apology from the South, whose prime minister said the incident was "accidental."

South Korean officials said there were five warning broadcasts from their boats followed by warning shots, which were ignored by the other side, the Times report said.

"It was then that the North Korean patrol boat attacked our high-speed patrol boat," said Lee Ki-shik, a South Korean military spokesman.

Lee said the Communist country's vessel fired 50 rounds at a South Korean patrol boat about 2 miles away, causing light damage. Other officials said the two South Korean vessels responded with 200 shots.

South Korean reports have said the North Korean vessel was on fire as it returned home.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged maximum restraint by both sides, Yonhap news agency reported.

"This incident highlights the need to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue and in a peaceful manner," he said.

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Seoul when he travels to Asia next week. Yonhap said North Korea will be on the agenda.