National flags and floral tributes are placed at the joint gravesite of the six sailors killed in the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong at Daejeon National Cemetery on June 27, 2024, two days before the battle's 22nd anniversary. The clash erupted on June 29, 2002, when two North Korean patrol boats crossed the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea and launched a surprise attack on the South Korean Navy's PKM-357 patrol boat. Six sailors, including Lt. Cdr. Yoon Young-ha and C.P.O. Han Sang-guk, were killed and 19 others were wounded.KIM SEONG-TAE
Roh Jeong-tae
The author is a writer and senior fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
Every June, the waters off Korea's west coast enter peak blue crab fishing season. North Korean fishing boats often cross the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas. That was initially believed to be the case on the morning of June 29, 2002. After detecting two North Korean vessels moving south, the Navy dispatched two squadrons of two patrol boats each to intercept them.
The vessels were not fishing boats. They were armed North Korean patrol craft. The South's Squadron 232, consisting of the PKM-357 and the PKM-358, issued warnings and carried out blocking maneuvers, but the North Korean Deungsan Got 684 patrol boat refused to retreat. Following the rules of engagement, the South Korean boats crossed its course to block its advance. Without warning, the North Korean vessel slowed to a stop and, from a distance of about 500 yards, opened fire on the port side of the PKM-357 at 10:25 a.m.
The North Korean side was outnumbered and outgunned. The PKM-357 and PKM-358 immediately returned fire, leaving Deungsan Got 684 unable to fight or steer. After roughly 25 minutes, the damaged vessel was towed away by another North Korean patrol boat. North Korea had effectively sacrificed a ship and dozens of sailors in an apparent attempt to avenge its humiliating defeat in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong on June 15, 1999, when its vessels crossed the NLL and were decisively repelled by the South Korean Navy.
The fighting was devastating. The commander of PKM-357, the late Lt. Cdr. Yoon Young-ha, then a lieutenant, was killed by enemy fire. C.P.O. Cho Cheon-hyung and C.P.O.s Hwang Do-hyun and Seo Hu-won also died while returning fire. C.P.O. Han Sang-guk, then a petty officer first class, who had initially been listed as missing, was later found at sea. Navy medic P.O.2 Park Dong-hyuk died 84 days later after being evacuated to a hospital. Six South Korean service members were killed and 18 were wounded. Most of the crew aboard the Deungsan Got 684 were reportedly killed or injured. South Korea had been ambushed, but it won the battle.
North Korea honored those who fought in the battle as heroes. In Korea, however, some argued that the sinking of the PKM-357 meant defeat or questioned whether the PKM-358 had merely stood by. Such reactions remain difficult to understand. The 1950-53 Korean War ended only with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The war has never formally ended. Every June 29, the same question returns: Are we truly winning?
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
