N. Korea Ships in S. Korea Waters

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A South Korean naval ship collided with a North Korean patrol boat Wednesday during a tense armed standoff in the Yellow Sea, the Defense Ministry said.

The accident off South Korea's west coast caused only slight damage to each ship and did not result in an exchange of fire, the ministry said.

The collision occurred while eight South Korean navy ships were trying to force six North Korean patrol boats out of South Korean waters for the second time in two days, it said.

``It's a slight contact and no serious damage or clashes resulted,'' said Capt. Lim Won-kyu, spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. ``Both sides restrained themselves.''

The latest standoff began when six North Korean navy ships re-entered South Korean waters shortly after daybreak Wednesday, about six hours after withdrawing from the area.

One North Korean patrol boat was spotted crossing the sea border and, within an hour, five more joined it deep in South Korean waters, Lim's office said.

A day earlier, six North Korean navy ships penetrated South Korean waters in the same general area, creating an 11-hour armed standoff with eight South Korean navy boats. After ignoring repeated South Korean warnings, the North Korean boats withdrew shortly before midnight.

The North Korean navy ships appeared to be guarding a number of northern fishing vessels operating in the area, it said.

The area is a rich crab fishing ground controlled by South Korea. Seoul officials said North Korean navy ships intruded into the area 20 to 30 times a year in the past, but usually withdrew when challenged by South Korean navy ships.

``It's unusual that the North Korean navy ships refused to leave the area this time,'' Lim said.

The infiltration came two days after North Korea accused South Korea on Sunday of sending three warships into its territorial waters in the Yellow Sea, and warned of retaliation.

In radio broadcasts monitored in Seoul Wednesday, North Korea claimed that up to nine South Korean navy ships penetrated its waters three more times on Monday and Tuesday and were chased out by its navy vessels.

``The repeated military provocations by the South Korean side created a tense situation, in which serious military clashes could occur,'' the North's Central Radio said.

The Korean peninsula was divided into the communist North and the capitalist South in 1945. They are still technically at war, having not signed a peace treaty at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Their border is the world's most heavily armed, with nearly 2 million troops deployed on both sides.