South Korea fired warning shots at a North Korean vessel after it crossed the disputed western sea border between the two countries.
The merchant ship breached the Northern Limit Line close to the South Korean island of Baengnyeong.
It turned back when South Korean forces gave an audio warning and fired shots, per the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
There were no reports that North Korea returned fire or responded with force towards South Korea.
Seoul stated that its actions were in accordance with operational procedure and that it is always ready to protect its territorial waters.
This is not the first time that warning shots have been fired at a North Korean Ship.
Many similar cases have happened in the past where a North Korean patrol vessel or commercial vessels have tried to cross the sea border.
The controversial sea border has been the site of many conflicts and attacks. In 2010, North Korea shelled a South Korean Island and attacked a naval vessel, killing 50 South Koreans.
In January 2024, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un said that he does not recognise the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea as it was decided by the US-led UN Command when the 1950-53 Korean War ended.
North Korea claims that the boundary should be further extended into a region that South Korea considers part of its territorial waters.
The two Koreas also exchanged shots in 2022 after the South Korean Navy fired shots at a North Korean merchant vessel that had breached the western sea border.
The recent incidents outline an aggressive stance taken by North Korea, which repeatedly encroaches South Korean waters, stating it does not recognise the sea border between the rival nations.
Tensions over this issue have escalated as North Korea has repeatedly dismissed Seoul’s calls to resume diplomatic efforts to improve the relations between the two neighbours.
Relations have become tense in the past few years after Kim revealed his ambitious weapons program and his growing closeness with Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
?
