conflicts
South Korea sells military boat from North Korea at sea border
South Korean forces fired warning shots at a North Korean military boat. photo
© Ahn Young-joon/AP/Archive
Recently, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen again. An incident has now occurred at the sea border. The South Korean armed forces responded with warning shots.
The South Korean armed forces said they had fired warning shots to drive a military boat out of North Korea at the maritime border between the two countries.
The incident had already occurred on Saturday, said the general staff in the South Korean capital Seoul on Sunday. The boat from North Korea crossed the Northern Maritime Line (NLL) to the south in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and China. The patrol boat turned away after being shot by a South Korean Navy speedboat.
North Korea does not recognize the Northern Maritime Line
North Korea does not recognize the NLL. The border line was drawn unilaterally by a UN command after the Korean War (1950-53) to prevent hostilities between the two sides. After the war, there were repeated battles between warships from both countries on the border.
South Korea’s military has hinted that the North Korean patrol boat may have been stalking a Chinese fishing boat engaged in illegal fishing activities. The South Korean speedboat collided slightly with a Chinese fishing boat when it was being used in poor visibility, it said. Some of the South Korean crew members suffered minor injuries.
The NLL incident came at a time of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has been testing nuclear-capable missiles for the past year in violation of UN ban decisions. South Korea and the USA are again holding their joint military exercises in full.