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SEOUL, Sunday (AFP, Reuters)

The border between North and South Korea returned to Cold War tensions Sunday a day after a deadly sea clash which sparked international concerns over strains on the Korean peninsula.

But the South's President Kim Dae-Jung went ahead with a three-day visit to Japan despite Saturday's conflict in the Yellow Sea which left four South Korean sailors dead, one missing and 19 wounded, according to Seoul's latest official toll.

A South Korean patrol boat was hit and sank while being towed away after the fierce 20 minute gunbattle. South Korean officials said a North Korean boat was seen being towed away in flames.

Amidst accusations of a deliberate provocation by the North, Kim put the South Korean army on high alert but went to Japan for the final of the World Cup in a bid to show the communist state could not disrupt the success of the month-long tournament co-hosted with Japan.

As he left, Kim said: "The government will further strengthen the security posture to keep the Korean peninsula peaceful.

"The government will take necessary steps so the people can engage in their business without concern." The South Korean government has demanded an apology but North Korea has blamed the South for the incident.

North Korean troops also appeared to be on heightened guard Sunday but their vessels stayed in their own territory after crossing the unofficial sea frontier at least three times in the past week, South Korean defense officials said.

"Our armed forces are still on high alert, but there have been no particular movements on the northern side," a defense ministry spokesman told AFP.

The clash sent reverberations across the globe as President Kim's "Sunshine Policy" of peaceful engagement with the North took a new blow..The United States condemned North Korea's "armed provocation" against South Korea after the deadly naval clash that a senior U.S official said could prompt a key U.S. visit to Pyongyang to be delayed.

"We regret the loss of life and injuries and we want to express our sympathy for the families," said State Department spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg of the clash that killed four South Korean sailors and wounded 19 others. "We support the stance of our ally against armed provocation."

A senior U.S. official said the clash may cause the United States to delay an anticipated visit of a U.S. official to the North Korean capital in early July.

Earlier the United States expressed concern with a top general saying the battle was a clear North Korean violation of the armistice which halted but did not officially end the 1950-53 Korean War.

General Leon LaPorte, commander of the 37,000 US troops in South Korea, said in a statement: "This provocative act by North Korea is a serious violation of the Armistice Agreement and could have serious implications in many areas."

He said the US-led United Nations Command in Korea had proposed a military meeting with the North in a bid to defuse tensions but there had been no response. In Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said "China is concerned about the exchange" between its near neighbours, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"China hopes that relevant parties would make efforts to safeguard stability on the peninsula," spokesman Liu Jianchao added. Meanwhile Russia called on Pyongyang and Seoul on Saturday not to allow a naval clash between North and South Korean ships to threaten reconciliation efforts. "We must not allow the positive processes underway in the (Korean) peninsula to come under threat," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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