Navy fires warning shots at NK patrol boat

By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat that crossed the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, Saturday, the military announced on Sunday.

The incident took place while the second round of reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War are being held at the Mount Geumgang resort in the North.

The North Korean vessel’s intrusion across the Northern Limit Line (NLL) occurred at 3:30 p.m. when it sailed into South-controlled waters by as much as 700 meters. The NLL is a de facto maritime border.

According to the military, the ship is believed to have been cracking down on about 100 illegal Chinese fishing boats near the South’s Yeonpyeong Island.

The South Korean Navy fired five warning shots at the North Korean boat, which retreated about 18 minutes after the shots were fired.

“There was no clash in forcing the North Korea ship back to its waters, with no injuries being reported,” a military official said.

The military has tightened vigilance in the region to brace for similar NLL violations in the near future.

In June, the South Korean Navy twice forced North Korean ships back into their own territorial waters with warning shots.

In response, Pyongyang criticized the South for carrying out a military provocation.

“South Korean belligerents conducted a military provocation against our patrol boat, which was carrying out its duties in our waters,” said a spokesman for the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK).

“The South’s move is aimed at purposely increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a military clash.”

Since the Aug. 25 inter-Korean agreement to defuse cross-border tension and improve bilateral ties, the Kim Jong-un regime has refrained from raising tension on the peninsula.

It did not launch an anticipated long-range missile on Oct. 10 _ the 70th anniversary of its ruling Workers’ Party.

Chang Yong-seok, a senior analyst at Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification, said the NLL incident would not immediately damage inter-Korean relations, including the family reunions.

“The CPRK’s condemnation seems to be a theoretical response to the South’s warning shots at its patrol ship,” Chang said.

“Therefore, the incident is unlikely to increase tension between the two nations in the near future.”