Tensions in the Yellow Sea
North and South Korea: Mutual warning shots at disputed sea border
TV reports with archive images about another incident at the inner-Korean border are running at the train station in the South Korean capital Seoul.
© Ahn Young-Joon/AP/DPA
Another serious incident between North and South Korea. The two countries have accused each other of violating the maritime border in the Yellow Sea. Both fired warning shots. However, the course of the border is disputed.
South and North Korea have each fired warning shots at their disputed sea border off the west coast. South Korean forces initially said they fired warning shots at a North Korean merchant ship south of the sea border before sunrise on Monday. North Korea then fired artillery shells into the buffer zone in the Yellow Sea. In doing so, North Korea violated the 2018 military agreement to reduce tensions.
North Korea’s army leadership accused South Korea of border violations. A South Korean military boat entered the zone controlled by North Korea, the general staff was quoted as saying by the state media. This was done under the pretext of taking action against an unidentified ship. North Korea had sent out a “serious warning against the enemy” and fired ten rocket launchers into the sea area.
North Korea does not recognize the border line
North Korea does not recognize the so-called Northern Border Line (NLL) off the coast of the Korean peninsula. The NLL was drawn unilaterally by a UN command after the Korean War (1950-53) to prevent hostilities between the two sides.
The latest incident came at a time of rising tensions on the peninsula. North Korea has been testing ballistic missiles at an unusually high frequency since the end of September. The country also recently carried out artillery exercises along the border on the east and west coasts. UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, which, depending on the design, can also carry a nuclear warhead.
South Korea: maneuvers against threat from the north
South Korea’s military began an annual maneuver last week that it says is aimed at countering threats to North Korea. The maneuver is the latest in a series of military exercises in South Korea, including joint exercises with US forces in recent weeks.