The Northern Limit Line Incident of 2002

The Northern Limit Line(NLL) incident of 2002 helped contribute to an environment of tension on the Korean Peninsula, and created political problems for President Kim Dae‐jung's Sunshine Policy. The attack now appears to have been carefully planned and carried out by the North Koreans. Based on the nature of the North Korean regime, and past precedent based on other recent provocations, it is likely that the attack on the ROK Navy on June 2 of 2002 was ordered, or at least carried out, with the expressed consent of Kim Chong‐il. The most likely reason for the attack appears to have been revenge for a naval defeat Pyongyang suffered near the NLL during the summer of 1999, although other reasons such as an attempt to interfere with the World Cup soccer games in Seoul, a gambit aimed at increasing leverage during upcoming talks with the U.S., or a move aimed at bringing the world's attention to the “illegality” of the NLL, are also possible. Implications of the incident included increased tensions on the Peninsula and postponed foreign aid and security talks, but in the long run, the incident will probably be remembered as one of many provocations conducted by the North since 1953

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