PYONGYANG, June 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The Democratic People's Republic
of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea have blamed each other for the
exchange of fire between the two sides on the Yellow Sea on
Saturday morning.
   A report broadcast by the Korean Central News Agency and
Pyongyang Radio on Saturday afternoon accused South Korean
military authorities of provocation, saying the clash between the
navies of the two sides was a planned military provocative action
by the military authorities in South Korea. 
   Quoting a military source, the report said South Korean fleet
and more than 10 fishing boats intruded into the territorial
waters of the DPRK to the southwest of Yonpyong Island in the
Yellow Sea and fired at the DPRK People's Navy which was on a
regular guard mission.
   South Korean soldiers fired hundreds of rounds of gunfire at
the DPRK People's Navy, which had to resort to self-defense to
prevent further military provocative acts from the South Korean
side, the report said.
   It noted that the battle inflicted losses, but did not give
details of casualties.
   The "grave military provocation" by the South Korean military
authorities was meant to aggravate the improving North-South
relationship, it said.
   The military authorities of South Korea could by no means shirk
the responsibility for the military provocative action and should
restrain from reckless actions, the report added.
   Meanwhile, the South Korean government on Saturday urged the
DPRK to apologize for its military action in the Yellow Sea in the
morning, the South Korean national agency Yonhap News reported.
   "The defiance of the north side was evidently opposed to the
armistice of the two side, and we won't tolerate such action, we
have demanded our troops to make preparations for further actions,
" South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who will still complete his
itinerary to Japan, said after an emergency meeting that was held
by the National Security Council in the afternoon. 
   The north side should be fully responsible for the result of
the 25-minute battle between the two sides, apologize for its
action and assure not to allow similar incidents to happen again,
said Yim Sung-joon, senior secretary for foreign and national
security.
   Four South Korean seamen were dead, 20 others were injured and
one was still missing in the battle, a high officer of the South
Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters at a news conference
in the midday.
   This is the first time the navies of the two sides on the
Korean Peninsula have been engaged in a battle since they fought
against each other in the Yellow Sea in 1999.  Enditem