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North Korea and South Korea exchange fire after patrol boat violates sea border
Gunfire exchanged ... a North Korean patrol boat allegedly sailed into South Korean waters. Picture: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko Source: AP
NORTH and South Korea have exchanged fire after a North Korean patrol boat violated the South Korean western sea border, agencies are reporting.
North and South Korean naval patrol boats briefly exchanged fire Tuesday near their disputed maritime border, according to the South’s defence ministry which said the North’s vessel had violated the boundary.
The defence ministry said the South’s patrol boat had initially fired a warning shot after the North Korean vessel penetrated half a nautical mile inside the South’s territorial waters.
Instead of retreating immediately, the North patrol boat opened fire, so “our side fired back,” a ministry spokesman said, adding there was “no damage” sustained by the South Korean vessel.
Although the incident went beyond warning shots, the spokesman indicated that neither side had made a concerted effort to hit the other.
EARLIER: Is Kim Yo Jong now running North Korea?
Tense waters ... a file photo of a South Korean Navy vessel on patrol near Yeonpyong Island. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon. Source: AP
The incident took place around 9:50am (11.50am AEDT) near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, when the North patrol boat crossed into the South’s water, a ministry spokesman said.
Such exchanges are not uncommon at the sea boundary, the scene of several deadly maritime skirmishes between the Koreas.
The de facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas — the Northern Limit Line — is not recognised by Pyongyang, which argues it was unilaterally drawn by US-led United Nations forces after the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Korean conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty, and technically the two Koreas are still at war.
Second in command ... Hwang Pyong-So, director of the North Korean military's General Political Bureau. Picture: AFP PHOTO/ Bay Ismoyo Source: AFP
Both sides complain of frequent maritime incursions by the other and there were limited naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009.
In November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong island, killing four South Koreans and briefly triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.
The latest scrap followed the shock visit to South Korea on Saturday by some of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s closest aides.
It was led by Hwang Pyong-So, a newly elected vice chairman of the nuclear-armed North’s powerful National Defence Commission who is widely seen as Kim Jong-un’s number two.
Hope for improved relations ... South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye. Picture:L AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert Source: AFP
The visit resulted in an agreement to resume a high-level dialogue that had been suspended for seven months as military tensions on the divided peninsula soared.
The delegation also delivered the message that Kim Jong-un had no serious health problem, despite not being seen in public for more than a month.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday stressed the need to hold high-level talks on a regular basis, saying she hopes North Korea would show how sincere it is about improving ties.
A picture of health (apparently) ... North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Picture: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E Source: AP
North Korea and South Korea exchange fire after patrol boat violates sea border
- 24 hours ago October 07, 2014 4:16PM
Gunfire exchanged ... a North Korean patrol boat allegedly sailed into South Korean waters. Picture: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko Source: AP
NORTH and South Korea have exchanged fire after a North Korean patrol boat violated the South Korean western sea border, agencies are reporting.
North and South Korean naval patrol boats briefly exchanged fire Tuesday near their disputed maritime border, according to the South’s defence ministry which said the North’s vessel had violated the boundary.
The defence ministry said the South’s patrol boat had initially fired a warning shot after the North Korean vessel penetrated half a nautical mile inside the South’s territorial waters.
Instead of retreating immediately, the North patrol boat opened fire, so “our side fired back,” a ministry spokesman said, adding there was “no damage” sustained by the South Korean vessel.
Although the incident went beyond warning shots, the spokesman indicated that neither side had made a concerted effort to hit the other.
EARLIER: Is Kim Yo Jong now running North Korea?
Tense waters ... a file photo of a South Korean Navy vessel on patrol near Yeonpyong Island. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon. Source: AP
The incident took place around 9:50am (11.50am AEDT) near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, when the North patrol boat crossed into the South’s water, a ministry spokesman said.
Such exchanges are not uncommon at the sea boundary, the scene of several deadly maritime skirmishes between the Koreas.
The de facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas — the Northern Limit Line — is not recognised by Pyongyang, which argues it was unilaterally drawn by US-led United Nations forces after the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Korean conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty, and technically the two Koreas are still at war.
Second in command ... Hwang Pyong-So, director of the North Korean military's General Political Bureau. Picture: AFP PHOTO/ Bay Ismoyo Source: AFP
Both sides complain of frequent maritime incursions by the other and there were limited naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009.
In November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong island, killing four South Koreans and briefly triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.
The latest scrap followed the shock visit to South Korea on Saturday by some of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s closest aides.
It was led by Hwang Pyong-So, a newly elected vice chairman of the nuclear-armed North’s powerful National Defence Commission who is widely seen as Kim Jong-un’s number two.
Hope for improved relations ... South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye. Picture:L AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert Source: AFP
The visit resulted in an agreement to resume a high-level dialogue that had been suspended for seven months as military tensions on the divided peninsula soared.
The delegation also delivered the message that Kim Jong-un had no serious health problem, despite not being seen in public for more than a month.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday stressed the need to hold high-level talks on a regular basis, saying she hopes North Korea would show how sincere it is about improving ties.
A picture of health (apparently) ... North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Picture: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E Source: AP
North Korea and South Korea exchange fire after patrol boat violates sea border
