The Battle of Yeonpyeong (or Second Battle of Yeonpyeong) (South Korean: ì Â2ì°ÃÂÂôì Â; RR: Je I Yeonpyeong Haejeon) was a confrontation at sea between North Korean and South Korean patrol boats along a disputed maritime boundary near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea in 2002. This followed a similar confrontation in 1999. Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the contested border and engaged two South Korean Chamsuri-class patrol boats. The North Koreans withdrew before South Korean reinforcements arrived.
This event sparked controversy in South Korea over the âÂÂblocking maneuverâ in response to Northern Limit Line violations. Subsequently, the blocking maneuver was removed from the rules of engagement.
The Northern Limit Line is considered by South Korea to be the maritime boundary between itself and North Korea, while North Korea disagrees and states that the boundary is farther south. North Korean fishing vessels often wander into the area and are frequently chased away by South Korean patrol vessels. Occasionally a North Korean patrol tries to enforce its southern claim by traversing the limit line. In 2002 one such incursion turned into a naval battle along the limit line.
The specifications of the naval vessels of North and South Korea are as follows.
The timeline of events on June 29, 2002, is as follows:
On 29 June 2002, a North Korean patrol boat crossed the northern limit line and was warned to turn back. Shortly afterward, a second North Korean patrol craft crossed the line and it was also warned to retreat across the line. The North Korean boats began threatening and harassing the South Korean vessels following them.
After traveling south past the limit line, the North Korean vessels attacked the two South Korean patrol killer medium (PKM) boats that had been monitoring them. At 10:25, the vessel that first crossed the line opened fire with its 85 mm gun and scored a direct hit on the wheelhouse of PKM-357 causing several casualties.
The two squadrons then began a general engagement. The South Koreans using their 40 and 20 mm guns against the North Korean RPGs, 85 mm, and 37 mm guns. About ten minutes later, two more PKMs and two corvettes reinforced the South Korean vessels and severely damaged one of the North Korean craft. Now heavily outnumbered and taking casualties, the North Korean vessels retreated back across the Limit Line at 10:59.
Both the North Korean and South Korean flotillas took casualties from the action. Thirteen North Koreans were killed and twenty five wounded. The South Koreans suffered six fatalities, four during the battle, one 83 days later from wounds suffered during the battle, and one found dead at sea after the battle. The dead were Lt. Cmdr. Yoon Yeong-ha, Jo Cheon-hyung, Seo Hu-won, and Hwang Do-hyeon (during the battle), Park Dong-hyeok (days later), and Han Sang-guk (found at sea); Eighteen others were injured.
The damaged PKM-357 later sank while under tow, while the damaged North Korean vessel was able to limp its way back to port. Both sides laid blame on each other and South Korea demanded an apology from North Korea.
According to a North Korean defector's statement in 2012, the North Korean patrol boat crewmembers involved in the battle suffered extensive splinter injuries from the South Korean "Devastator" shells. The injured North Koreans were reportedly quarantined in a hospital in Pyongyang to hide the extent of the casualties suffered in the battle.
PKM 357 was later raised and towed to Pyeongtaek Naval Base, where she is now a museum ship. For display at the War Memorial of Korea, another Chamsuri-class patrol boat, PKM 301, was repainted and given faux battle damage to simulate PKM 357.
Search and salvage operations, delayed by a typhoon, were postponed again and began on August 5, but bad weather delayed the main operation. On August 9, the remains of missing Chief Petty Officer Han Sang-guk were recovered from the bridge. Due to bad weather and operational difficulties, the high-speed vessel was salvaged only on August 21, 53 days after sinking. The vessel had sunk to a depth of 28m, 25.2 km west of Yeonpyeong Island. The salvaged hull had four large holes, including two in the front of the bridge, and hundreds of marks from shells and shrapnel. The national flag was still hanging on the mast behind the bridge, drawing media attention.
Chief Petty Officer Han Sang-guk was found dead during the search of the hull after being missing; Corporal Park Dong-hyuk died while being treated after being evacuated. The other four were killed during the battle.
Reasons for South Korea's Heavy Losses
Chamsuri high-speed vessels were equipped with 20mm Vulcan guns, 30mm autocannons, 40mm autocannons, and M60 7.62mm machine guns. However, North Korean vessels were equipped with 85mm tank guns and 14.5mm machine guns, giving them superior firepower. Although the 85mm tank gun had limited range and accuracy, a single hit could be fatal, while the weapons on Chamsuri vessels were insufficient to sink enemy ships. Despite concentrated fire from six Chamsuri vessels, Dongsan Got 684 was not sunk.
Chamsuri 357 was directly hit by an 85mm shell in the bridge, destroying the command center. Although the deputy captain took command, the weak defense exposed critical facilities such as the bridge to danger.
When enemy vessels violated the NLL, the procedure was warning broadcast â demonstration maneuver â blocking maneuver â warning shots â suppressive fire. The blocking maneuver, especially, was vulnerable to surprise attacks, and Chamsuri 357 was attacked during this maneuver.
It took a full 18 minutes after the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong began for frigates to join the battle with their 76mm rapid-fire guns. During this time, Chamsuri 357 suffered heavy damage. Initially, the frigates failed to properly assess the situation, and the Chamsuri vessels were not within their firing range. As a result, fire support was inadequate, and the North Korean high-speed vessel was not sunk.
Families of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong victims received compensation, pensions, and severance pay. For example, Lieutenant Commander Yun's family received over 100 million KRW (including 56 million KRW in death compensation), while other families received about 60 million KRW (including about 31 million KRW in death compensation). Conservative groups criticized the government and the Ministry of Gender Equality for the low compensation, but at the time, the government could not provide additional compensation due to legal regulations. In 2002, the Military Pension Act did not distinguish between death in the line of duty and death in combat, so all were treated as public official deaths, making additional compensation impossible. Therefore, the government provided indirect support through national donations, and the six soldiers received a total of 350 million KRW in compensation, including government support.
The problematic Military Pension Act was enacted during the Park Chung-hee administration, when the number of wartime deaths during the Vietnam War increased, and the government, concerned about depleting the national treasury, stipulated that deaths in combat would be treated as deaths in the line of duty, with death compensation limited to 36 times the monthly salary before death. Additionally, in 1967, Article 2 of the National Compensation Act was enacted, stipulating that if compensation is received for damages incurred during duty, the state cannot be sued for damages even if the state is at fault.
In July 2002, the Ministry of Defense, in response to criticism that compensation for the fallen was too low, announced that it would amend the Military Pension Act and related regulations to allow compensation for âÂÂdeath in combat with the enemy,â separating it from âÂÂdeath in the line of duty.â In January 2004, the Ministry of Defense announced that the amended Military Pension Act, which had been under revision, would apply to all combat deaths at home and abroad. However, this did not apply retroactively to the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong victims. Thus, families of the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong victims received only 30âÂÂ60 million KRW in compensation for public official deaths, not the 200 million KRW combat death compensation.
In May 2010, the Ministry of Defense stated, âÂÂTo provide retroactive combat death compensation to Second Battle of Yeonpyeong victims, a special law must be enacted.â In 2010, during the Lee Myung-bak administration, a special law to honor the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong victims was proposed but failed. On October 14, the Ministry of Defense's Reserve Policy Development Task Force notified that it could not honor the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong victims as combat deaths. The notice stated, âÂÂThere are concerns about fairness with other combat deaths, such as infiltration operations, local wars, and North Korean provocations, so retroactive compensation is not possible for legal stability.â In the case of the Cheonan sinking (March 2010), families received 200 million KRW in death compensation for enlisted personnel and 359 million KRW for master chief petty officers under the 2004 amended Military Pension Act.
After the Moon Jae-in administration took office, the âÂÂSpecial Act on Compensation for the Second Battle of Yeonpyeongâ was enacted and implemented in July 2018, allowing each family to receive an additional 140 to 180 million KRW in compensation.
On June 30, 2002, the Kim Dae-jung administration posthumously promoted and awarded medals to five Navy personnel who were killed or missing in action. On the same day, Prime Minister Lee Han-dong and cabinet members, National Assembly members, and military personnel visited the joint memorial altar at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. The prime minister and 21 cabinet members paid their respects and awarded the Order of Military Merit, Chungmu, to the late Lieutenant Commander Yun Young-ha and the Order of Military Merit, Hwarang, to the four other deceased or missing soldiers. The prime minister then visited the wards to shake hands with and encourage the 19 injured soldiers, saying, âÂÂYou fought well. You were brave.âÂÂ
On July 2, 2002, after returning from Japan, President Kim Dae-jung warned, âÂÂIf North Korea tries to harm us with military force again, North Korea will suffer even greater damage.â He then visited the Armed Forces Capital Hospital to console the soldiers injured in the West Sea naval incident. One month after the battle, on July 23, President Kim invited the families of the five killed or missing soldiers (12 people) to the Blue House to console them.
On June 25, 2003, ahead of the first anniversary of the incident, President Roh Moo-hyun invited bereaved families and national meritorious persons to the Blue House for a consolation event. On June 27, 2003, he visited the 2nd Fleet and paid his respects at the Chamsuri 357 displayed in the Security Park. He also called to console Lieutenant Lee Hee-wan, who had lost a leg but returned to duty, and sent gifts to bereaved families on holidays.
The Ministry of National Defense, which had previously referred to the incident as the West Sea Naval Incident, officially renamed it the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in April 2008. At the same time, the memorial service was upgraded to a government-sponsored event, with the organizing agency changed from the Navy's 2nd Fleet Command to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
President Lee Myung-bak attended the 10th anniversary event in 2012, marking the first time a commander-in-chief attended a Second Battle of Yeonpyeong-related event since 2002.
The five-step response procedure led to Navy losses. Chamsuri 357 was also attacked during the blocking maneuver. The previous procedure was warning broadcast â demonstration maneuver â blocking maneuver (pushing operation) â warning shots â suppressive fire. The main problem was the âÂÂblocking maneuver,â which was most vulnerable to surprise attacks. The Ministry of National Defense removed the blocking maneuver in July 2002 and, in 2004, combined the demonstration maneuver and warning broadcast, revising the procedure to three steps: warning broadcast/demonstration maneuver â warning shots â suppressive fire. This became the basis for the victory in the 2009 Battle of Daecheong.
Learning from the late response of frigates and heavy losses in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong, Chamsuri high-speed vessels were required to operate within the firing range of frigates to improve response.
The Ministry of National Defense, after seeing Chamsuri 357 destroyed by an 85mm shell in the bridge, ordered improvements to defense. As a result, 45 Chamsuri high-speed vessels of the 1st and 2nd Fleets were upgraded for enhanced defense. Firepower was improved by replacing M60 (7.62mm) machine guns with (12.7mm) machine guns. To replace the 30-year-old Chamsuri vessels, the PKX-A was developed and named the âÂÂYoon Young-ha class high-speed vessel,â launched in 2007. Since the Chamsuri's strongest weapon was only a 40mm autocannon, making it difficult to sink enemy ships, the Yun Young-ha class was equipped with a 76mm rapid-fire gun and anti-ship missiles.
The Navy concluded that the salvaged Chamsuri 357 could not be reused due to structural distortion and long-term submersion and decided to display it at the 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek.
Film Production
In October 2013, the film ãÂÂNLLâÂÂBattle of Yeonpyeongã was scheduled for release. Directed by Kim Hak-soon and starring Kim Mu-yeol and Jin Goo, the production was reported by the Chosun Ilbo to have received no production funding. As a result, production costs were covered by donations from the Navy and the general public. With talent donations from the cast and crew, it was said that 1.5 billion KRW would be enough for a 3D war film, but only 250 million KRW was raised through the first and second rounds of crowdfunding and individual investors. Despite the lack of funds, filming began on April 22, 2013, and production costs were covered by a third round of crowdfunding.
The film was released as Northern Limit Line on June 24, 2015.