Wednesday, September 23, 2009 SEOUL: South Korea Wednesday launched two new high-speed patrol boats armed with missiles to guard the border with North Korea, as the incoming defence minister warned of ongoing military tensions. The defence ministry said the 400-ton boats -- the Han Sang Guk and the Jo Cheon Hyeong -- made their debut in the southern port city of Jinhae. They were named after soldiers killed in a 2002 naval clash with North Korea and equipped with guided missiles with a range of up to 140 kilometres (84 miles). The first boat of the new class was deployed in early June amid high tensions along the western sea border -- the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999 as well as in 2002. In 2002 six South Korean soldiers died and 18 others were wounded while more than 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded. North Korea refuses to recognise the current western sea border and wants it moved further to the south. The latest boats, to be deployed in the Yellow Sea as early...
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