South Korean navy fires warning shots at North’s ships crossing Yellow Sea border
Warning shots fired by South Korean vessel after incursions across maritime border by two North Korean patrol boats as Pyongyang denies knowledge of drones that crashed in South
A South Korean naval vessel fired warning shots after two North Korean patrol boats crossed the disputed maritime border on Friday, just before US President Barack Obama arrived in Seoul for a two-day visit.
The two North Korean boats, which normally serve to keep fishing boats on the right side of the boundary, crossed “one nautical mile south” into South Korean waters, a defence ministry official told reporters.
The pre-dawn incursion prompted a South Korean naval ship to fire several warning rounds, after which the two vessels retreated to the North side of the border.
The official said the patrol boats might have been chasing Chinese crab-fishing boats operating illegally in the area.
“The North might have wanted to check the South’s military vigilance.”
“Or the North might have wanted to check the South’s military vigilance,” he added.
The North does not officially recognise the Yellow Sea boundary, which was unilaterally drawn by the US-led United Nations forces after the 1950-53 Korean War.
