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The 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident
On September 15, a North Korean Sang-O class submarine landed a three person special operations reconnaissance team on the shores near Gangneung. Their mission was to spy on the naval installations in the area and then return. The submarine, however, ran aground . The crew then decided to destroy the sensitive equipment in the submarine and try to make it to the DMZ. The crew split up in several groups but one was soon spotted by a civilian who became suspicious and alerted the authorities, who quickly mobilized 40,000 soldiers. A 49-day long manhunt ensued, from 18 September through 5 November, resulting in the capture or elimination of all the crew and members of the reconnaissance team, except one, who is believed to have made it back to North Korea. 16 South Korean soldiers and civilians died and 27 were wounded. Of the 26 North Korean infiltrators, 1 was captured, 11 were murdered by the other members or died from a murder-suicide, 13 were killed in firefights with the ROK Army, and 1 reportedly escaped back to North Korea. wikipedia
Torpedoing of the South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan March 26, 2010
The South Korean corvette was sunk about 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) off the south-west coast of Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea
The South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan was reportedly torpedoed by a North Korean miniature submarine on March 26, 2010, inside the South Korean border with South Korea in the Yellow Sea ( coast facing China ). 46 crewmen were killed. North Korea denied any involvement in the sinking of Scene. Parts of a North Korean torpedo were found at the site of the sinking, which North Korea calls a fabrication and threatens war if attacked as a result. South Korea announced an end to North-South Korean trade and joint exercises with U.S. forces, it is unlikely there will be a military strike from South Korea as it may trigger a war. Why would North Korea sink a South Korean navy ship ? There are several possible reasons:; possibly to provoke a South Korean military response to unite North Koreans in its time of economic crisis and revenge for a North Korean loss in a naval engagement in 2009 in the same area.
news report on the Cheonan sinking
Just what are motives behind the latest crisis? And how far could it escalate?
North Korean Artillery bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island November 23, 2010
In the first major artillery exchange since the 1970s, North Korean forces fired around 170 artillery shells and rockets at Yeonpyeong Island hitting both military and civilian targets in the disputed waters off Korea's western coast near Seoul after a South Korea fired artillery near the disputed region as part of a military exercise.The shelling by North Korea caused widespread damage on the island, killing four South Koreans and injuring 19. South Korea retaliated by shelling North Korean gun positions. The North Koreans subsequently stated that they had responded to South Korean shells being fired into North Korean territorial waters. Some have speculated some of the motivation for the attack may have been to give Kim Jong-il's son, Kim Jong-un, more prestige with the military at to take away prestige from South Korea's hosting of the 2010 hosting G20 summit.
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