South Korean Navy Shoots at North Korean Fishing Ships

As North Korean fishing vessels crossed over a disputed maritime boundary known as the Northern Limit Line earlier in the day, South Korean naval ships fired warning shots at them. Although none of the shots made contact with the fishing boats, they crossed back over to their side of the border between the two countries.

The South Korean Navy reportedly issued two warning messages to the boats before firing an estimated few dozen shots. During the incident, the Navy’s alert level was raised.

North Korea has not made any official comments as of yet.

The battle over maritime territory is a common one between the two Koreas, and some waters are still under dispute. Deadly naval encounters took place near the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

According to a CNN news report, in 2010, Seoul accused Pyongyang of sinking one of its naval vessels near disputed waters off North Korea, killing 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea has repeatedly denied responsibility for causing the sinking.

Photo (thumb): ROKS Baekdusan (PC 701), the first warship of the Republic of Korea Navy