According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, a 1,500-ton naval vessel with a crew of 104 sank off of the island of Baengnyeong in the Yellow Sea on March 26. Based on size and crew displacement it is likely either an Ulsan-class guided missile frigate or a Po Hang-class corvette. The incident took place between 9 and 10 a.m. local time. The cause is unknown, but the BBC has reported that a torpedo was involved. Seoul has said there was an explosion at the stern, and it is investigating whether a torpedo attack from North Korea was the cause, according to YTN TV. The contested waters between North and South Korea do see the occasional naval clashes, but the loss of a surface combatant on this scale would be extremely significant.
UPDATE 1:
March 26, 2010
A South Korean military source said March 26 that the naval vessel that sank near North Korea was probably attacked, KBS reported.UPDATE 2:
March 26, 2010
MBC television reported about half the crew of a sunken South Korean Navy vessel has been saved so far, Channel News Asia reported March 26.
