South Koreans fear attack from North

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea’s troops went on high alert today for possible retaliation by North Korea after one of its navy ships was nearly destroyed and an officer reportedly killed in a skirmish with the South, ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama.

The clash Tuesday along the disputed western sea border was the first such engagement in seven years, sending tensions soaring about a week before Obama travels to Seoul as part of his Asian tour.

The exchange of fire also occurred just hours before the State Department announced a senior U.S. diplomat will travel to North Korea before year’s end to try to entice North Korea back into international negotiations on nuclear disarmament. The dispatch of envoy Stephen Bosworth would mark the first direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang since Obama took office in January.

South Korean officials said the North Korean ship was on fire and heavily damaged following a two-minute skirmish off the west coast – the scene of two bloody naval battles in 1999 and 2002. The South Korean ship was only lightly damaged and there were no South Korean casualties, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

South Korea’s mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper and other media reported that one North Korean officer was believed killed and three other sailors wounded. President Lee Myung-bak ordered his Defense Minister Kim Tae-young to strengthen military readiness.

Late Tuesday, Kim said in parliament that he believed the North may take retaliatory action. “The president also has such concerns,” Kim said.

South Korea’s 680,000-strong military was on heightened alert but detected no unusual North Korean troop movements.