N. Korea threatens military action amid maritime tension

North Korea threatened unspecified military actions Saturday after South Korean navy patrol boats fired warning shots to repel several Northern fishing boats that violated the western maritime border.

On Friday, South Korean patrol boats spotted six North Korean fishing vessels in southern waters in the Yellow Sea and fired warning shots to force them back. There were no casualties reported from the North.

Calling the warning shots an "adventurous military provocation," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, "The Southwestern Frontline Command stands ready for an operation order to turn the Yellow Sea into a trap for the enemy."

The Korean-language KCNA report said North Korea has few options but to carry out "powerful attacks," insisting that the country's front-line troops know no limits for retaliation.

The maritime border in the Yellow Sea, commonly called the Northern Limit Line (NLL), is the scene of several bloody naval skirmishes between the two Koreas. Most recently in March, 2010, North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship in the area, killing 46 sailors.

It was the first time in two years that South Korea has used military power to repel intruding North Korean fishing boats. The area is rich in crabs and other pricey fish.

When its navy boats took action against the North Korean fishing boats, South Korea's military also deployed a fighter jet, a military source said.

"When the Navy fired warning shots, a joint force was standing ready and an F-15K fighter jet was deployed as part of the force," the source, said asking for anonymity as he is not allowed to talk about military information. "If North Korea's military launches provocations near the NLL, we will operate the joint forces to promptly and sternly respond."

The F-15K fighter was equipped with air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles, the source noted.

Seoul and Washington have subsequently allocated additional intelligence gathering assets but there were no unusual moves by North Korea's military forces in the area, the source said.

Pyongyang does not recognize the NLL, arguing it was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led United Nations forces at the conclusion of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce. It has demanded that a new border be drawn farther south.

South Korea's military also said late Saturday that another North Korean fishing boat crossed into the southern side of the NLL earlier in the day.

"The North Korean fishing vessel crossed the NLL by about 400 meters in the morning," a military official said. "The vessel immediately retreated into the northern side after getting a warning sign from our Navy."

He said the Korean military is on a high alert to stave off further intrusion by North Korean fishing boats. (Yonhap)