Koreas Still at Odds on Sea Border

PANMUNJOM, Korea – Generals from North and South Korea struggled to overcome disagreements over their shared sea border at a second day of military talks Wednesday, with Seoul acknowledging little progress being made on the dispute.

The talks between two-star generals ended the opening day Tuesday in bitter discord as the North renewed its demand that the United Nations-designated border – formally known as the Northern Limit Line – be redrawn further south.

The situation did not appear to improve as talks resumed Wednesday.

"There is still difficulty in narrowing differences over the issue of the Northern Limit Line," South Korean spokesman Col. Moon Sung-mook told reporters at the talks held the truce village of Panmumjom, in the heart of the Demilitarized Zone dividing the peninsula.

The border issue has been a constant source of dispute between the Koreas, with the South repeatedly rejecting the North’s demand to redraw the line – saying that the current border demarcated at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War should be respected.

This week’s talks scheduled to run through Thursday are the highest-level dialogue channel between the two militaries.

The session was intended to follow up on agreements reached in May when the two sides agreed to set up a joint fishing area around the contended border and to cooperate on security arrangements for joint economic projects in the area.

But since then, no progress has been made in lower-level talks.

North Korea’s navy command has issued a series of warnings in recent months that a battle along the disputed sea border – the scene of deadly clashes in 1999 and 2002 – could occur unless South Korean vessels stop entering its waters.

The waters around the border are rich fishing grounds and boats from the two Koreas routinely jostle for position during the May-June crab-catching season.

The Korean War ended in a cease-fire that has never been replaced with a peace treaty – leaving the two Koreas technically at war. However, the two sides have embarked on the path of reconciliation since their leaders met in a 2000 summit.