Korean War veteran says no to joint fishing zone with N .Korea

"It snowed heavily and countless bullets rained down from behind. I still can`t forget the scene of snowballs and earth flying together after being hit by bullets."

Choi Nam-sik, 82, a veteran from Yeonpyeong Island who participated in the Korean War, said that he still has vivid memories of the war, during which he went through life-or-death crises. Choi, who joined the war at age 19 as a member of the Daehan Youth Corps, fought against North Korean soldiers in Haeju, Hwanghae Province. Sixty years later, only two Korean War veterans are still alive among residents on the island. When the war broke out, about 30 young men on Yeonpyeong were sent to the war, including Choi. When the South Korean and the United Nations troops advanced to the North, the Yeonpyeong men followed them. Half of the Yeonpyeong men joined operations to suppress North Korean guerillas, while the other half fought against North Korean soldiers in Haeju.

Choi expressed regret that although many people sacrificed their lives to defend South Korea, the war is becoming a "forgotten war" among today`s young generations. "North Korea has not stopped armed provocations against the South, as we saw in the 2010 artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island," he said. "We must not forget the war to prevent another tragedy."

Regarding the ongoing political controversies over the Northern Limit Line, the de factor maritime border with North Korea, the veteran said, "Claims for declaring a peace zone and install a joint fishing zone in the Yellow Sea is an act of surrendering our territory to North Korea."

"I didn`t have much education but I know one thing for sure. We must never move the NLL southward. Yeonpyeong residents make a living on crabs. Lowering the NLL southward is the same as surrendering the sea zone to the North."