North Korea conducts live-fire drill

29 April 2014 Last updated at 09:54 John Sudworth reports on the second such exercise to be held in a month

North Korea has conducted a live-fire drill near the disputed maritime border, Seoul officials say, but no shells fell in South Korean waters.

It is the second time in a month that Pyongyang has carried out such drills.

Last time, the exercises led to an exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea.

But on this occasion, North Korea's live rounds fell short of the disputed western sea border and so South Korea did not respond.

"The North's shells fell in waters about 3km (2 miles) north of the NLL [Northern Limit Line, the disputed border]," Yonhap news agency quoted a spokesman from the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.

"The South Korean military is currently monitoring North Korean artillery units, while maintaining high military readiness."

South Korea's defence ministry said it was notified early on Tuesday that drills would take place near islands west of the Korean peninsula.

Firing began around 14:00 (05:00GMT), with around 50 shells fired at two locations, Yonhap said.

Warship sunk

The western sea border has long been a flashpoint between the two Koreas. The UN drew the border after the Korean War, but North Korea has never recognised it.

A similar North Korean exercise at the end of March resulted in the two sides exchanging hundreds of rounds of artillery fire, after South Korea said rounds landed in its territory.

Border islands in the area where the exercises took place are also hotspots.

In November 2010, North Korea fired shells at Yeonpyeong, killing two marines and two civilians, in what it said was a response to South Korean military exercises.

Earlier that year, a South Korean warship sank near Baengnyeong island with the loss of 46 lives. Seoul says Pyongyang torpedoed the vessel but North Korea denies any role in the incident.

Residents on all five islands were told to move to evacuation centres during the drill, Yonhap said.

Test fears

This latest move from North Korea comes as satellite images suggest Pyongyang could be preparing to carry out a nuclear test.

South Korea's military said it had recently detected "a lot of activity" at the North's Punggye-ri test site.

The test, if it went ahead, would be Pyongyang's fourth, after tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

UN Security Council resolution 1718, passed in October 2006 after the first nuclear test, bans North Korea from nuclear and missile tests.

The live-fire drill also follows President Barack Obama's visit to South Korea last week, which was strongly opposed by North Korea.

Washington has led calls for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

In a statement on Monday, North Korea launched one of its strongest attacks on the South Korean leader, President Park Geun-hye, calling her a "despicable prostitute" who pandered to her "pimp", Mr Obama.

South Korea described the comments as "foul words".

View the original article here

Many missing as S Korea ferry sinks

16 April 2014 Last updated at 15:36 Lucy Williamson: Images reveal how quickly the ship went down

Almost 300 people remain unaccounted for after a ferry carrying 459 people capsized and sank off South Korea.

The ferry, carrying mainly school students, was travelling from the port of Incheon, in the north-west, to the southern resort island of Jeju.

A major rescue effort is under way, involving dozens of ships and helicopters. Those brought to safety were taken to a nearby island.

Four people are now said to have died and dozens of others have been hurt.

Continue reading the main story Richard Westcott BBC Transport correspondent

Domestic ferries across some parts of Asia have a bad safety record, especially in countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia where ships can be overcrowded and poorly maintained. But in recent years South Korea has been one of the exceptions.

This particular ferry was built in Japan, who make some of the best ships in the world. It wasn't anywhere near full and it was travelling a well-worn route in reasonably calm seas. The speed with which it flipped over and sank is a major concern.

Passengers described a loud thud, which might suggest it hit something hard. It doesn't matter how well built the ship is, collisions can sink vessels very quickly.

Survivors have also complained that they were told to stay put even though the ferry was tipping over. That's not as surprising as you might think. The basic assumption is always that the ship is the best lifeboat. That it's normally safer to stay on board than brave the water.

All of these split second evacuation decisions and the design of the ship, will be analysed by investigators.

South Korean officials had earlier said that 368 people had been plucked to safety, but later said there had been a counting error.

They have now revised down the number rescued to 164.

Images showed the ferry listing at a severe angle and then later almost completely submerged, with only a small part of its hull visible. It sank within two hours of sending a distress signal, reports said.

There are fears this could turn out to be South Korea's biggest maritime disaster for more than 20 years, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Seoul.

Cause unclear

Several coast guard, military and commercial vessels were involved in the rescue effort, which unfolded rapidly on Wednesday morning.

Pictures from the scene showed rescue teams balanced on the sinking hull pulling teenagers from cabin windows. Some of their classmates jumped into the sea as the ship went down.

Reports suggest some of those rescued were picked up by nearby commercial vessels. The US Navy has sent a ship to assist the search.

Continue reading the main story

Passengers on board: 447

Maximum capacity: 900

Length: 146 metres

Built: 1994

Military and civilian ships and helicopters have been searching for survivors Reports said the ship capsized and sank within a period of two hours Teams of navy divers were now searching the scene for those unaccounted for, officials said, but the work was challenging.

"There is so much mud in the sea water and the visibility is very low," said Lee Gyeong-og, vice-minister of security and public administration.

One body, of a female crew member, had been recovered from the ship, the coastguard said. Another person, a male high school student, died after being rescued.

Continue reading the main story 1970: Sinking of passenger vessel Namyoung leaves 323 dead1993: Sinking of passenger vessel Seohae Ferry leaves 292 dead2007: Sinking of freighter Eastern Bright leaving 14 sailors missing2009: Sinking of cargo ship Orchid Pia after a collision leaves 16 sailors missing

Source: Yonhap

One student told local media her friends became trapped.

"Currently, I am in the middle of being rescued. At the time, the ship was turning on its side, and none of us were moving as we were told not to move as it was dangerous," the unnamed student said.

"So, I am not well aware of the situation, but I am told that my friends and other friends could not escape as the passage was blocked. It seems that there are many students who could not get out as the passage was blocked by water."

It is not yet clear what caused the incident, but witnesses described hearing an impact, before the ship listed and quickly sank.

One passenger told the YTN news channel: "We heard a big thumping sound and the boat stopped."

Teams have brought rescued passengers to shore - at least 13 are reported to be hurt Flares light up the sky as the search for missing passengers continues through the night Relatives of the missing are waiting to hear of the fate of their loved ones

"The boat is tilting and we have to hold on to something to stay seated," the passenger said.

Another passenger said the ship was "shaking and tilting", with people tripping and bumping into each other.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has expressed sadness over the incident, saying it was "truly tragic" that students on a field trip were involved in "such an unfortunate accident".

Kim Young-boong, an official from the company which owns the ferry, has apologised.

Survivor: "There was an announcement telling us to sit still, but the ferry was already sinking"

"I would like to say sorry to the passengers, which include a number of students and their parents, and promise that our company will do its best to minimise loss of life. We are sorry," he said, according to the AP news agency.

Weather conditions were described as fine. Yonhap news agency said that the ferry sank at a depth of 30m (90ft).

Continue reading the main story Ferry - named Sewol - was travelling from Incheon to Jeju Island, a route it serves twice a weekThe 146m-long vessel has a capacity of about 900 people but was carrying about 470 peoplePassengers include about 330 students from Danwon High School in Ansan, a suburb of SeoulNews agencies said the ferry had sent out a distress signal about 20km (12 miles) off the island of Byungpoong at about 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

"We will try to determine the cause of the accident after rescue operations are over," said Lee Gyeong-og.

Many of the passengers were students from a high school in a suburb of Seoul heading off on a four-day field trip to Jeju.

Angry parents have gathered at the school in Incheon to demand answers, reports the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

Earlier reports put the number of passengers on the ferry at about 350. The vessel is reported to have a capacity of up to 900 people.

Lee Gyeong-og, the vice-minister of security and public administration, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying that 30 crew members, 325 high school students, 15 school teachers and 89 non-student passengers were aboard the ship.

Are you in the area? Do you have any information you would like to share? Please send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'South Korea ferry'.

View the original article here