STORM2K

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- South Korea's navy fired warning shots on Sunday after three North Korean fishing boats crossed their disputed Yellow Sea border, a military spokesman for the South said.

The spokesman declined to provide details, but confirmed a local television report that three North Korean boats retreated after the warning shots in the latest of a series of incursions this week in rich fishing grounds west of the divided peninsula.

On Saturday the South's military reported four fishing boats intruded into their territory but were chased back "after we broadcast warnings," a military spokesman said earlier.

"We are studying the reason for the intrusion."

On Thursday, North Korea accused South Korea of sending warships across the maritime boundary, warning Seoul that further moves could lead to "irrevocable serious consequences," ratcheting up tensions on the divided peninsula.

South Korea denied its naval ships had crossed into northern waters.

The Northern Limit Line (NLL) is the de factor sea border, drawn by U.S.-led United Nations forces at the end of the 1950-53 Korean war, which ended in an armed truce.

North Korea has demanded a new sea frontier be drawn far to the south and in 1999 declared the NLL invalid.

South Korea has good reason to fire on those "fishing" vessels...just like the Soviets in the Cold War, they are actually "listening posts", using the latest technology (warmed-over Russian Gen-II stuff, upgraded and remanufactured by China) to keep abreast of South Korea's maritime, diplomatic, military and economic transmissions.

I really feel for the people of S.Korea. It is bad enough to be here and be afraid of hidden dangers like Al Qaeda, but when you have a crazy man like Kim Jong running the country next to you, you have to be nervous! :o

down here near the Border where Vicente Fox is encouraging hoards of illegals and smugglers (many of them armed) to swarm into the area trashing Public and Private property setting fire to our wildlands and threatening US Citizens and Officers with death and sometimes even making good on their threats-now you know why local sympathy for illegals is about minus infinity now and not much high for our own Government which has failed to end this crap.

Steve

I read a scathing piece in IMPRIMIS by Michelle Malkin detailing just how porous our borders ARE...Organ Pipe was singled out for special attention, as the smugglers have gone so far as to cut their OWN roads through it, and the park rangers and Border Patrol are regularly being ambushed by Mexican military, drug runners, etc., etc. It was also related in this article that Yemenis, Egyptians and Saudis have been caught in Organ Pipe alone during the last few months.

Canada is even worse...sometimes, only a stop sign and a few battered traffic cones are the sole 'barriers", if that much; and we know that Canada is about as "terrorist-friendly" as any nation can get, short of outright attack.

Other than erecting a "Westwall" defense on our landward borders, and/or stationing troops there by divisional strength, Homeland Security seems to have dropped the ball...and where is Congress?

With so many people out of work maybe a new work program along the border wouldn't be a bad idea. A 1000 yd no-mans land properly patrolled would cut out a lot of that crap for sure.

North Korea is just confusing. Once they pull out a nuke, it'll get nasty.