North Established Bumper Zone above 38º parallel in Yellow Sea

On October 2, 2002, ITAR-TASS, a Russian state-run media, reported, citing its source in North Korea, that North Korean government has established a bumper zone in the part of the Yellow Sea located above the 38º parallel. North Korean fishing ships cannot sail south down below the zone. Therefore, according to the report, it seems that North Korea, by establishing it, tries to avoid any armed conflicts with South Korean warships.

It also reported, “This bumper zone covers the area 10 nautical miles north of ‘the practical marine border.’ The prohibition of sailing within the zone is also applied to the foreign ships anchoring at North Korean ports.”

This measure of North is part of North’s efforts to ease the tension over the Korean Peninsula in anticipation of the upcoming senior-level talks between North and US.

Ki-Hyun Kim kimkihy@donga.com