Border guards fire warning shots
South Koreans evict North Korean military boat
04/16/2023 11:23 am
Relations between North and South Korea are extremely strained due to Pyongyang’s numerous missile tests. Now there is an incident at the sea border of both countries. A North Korean patrol boat enters South Korea’s territory. Warning shots force it to turn back.
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. 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 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.