South Korea fired on North Korean boat in its waters: Seoul

ANKARA

South Korea on Tuesday claimed that it fired on a North Korean patrol boat that entered its waters, breaching its western sea boundary for the first time since 2018, local media said.

The incident came just a day before Wednesday’s South Korean presidential election.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said the North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line – a de facto maritime border between two Korean countries – and traveled one kilometer (0.62 miles) into its water, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The North Korean boat returned to its waters after the South Korean ship fired three warning shots, its added.

Separately, the South Korean navy sized another ship that breached their waters along with seven North Koreans, six of them wearing military suits, and took them to Baengnyeong Island for further investigation, the report said.

The Northern Limit Line (NLL) is a longstanding dispute over the two countries’ maritime borders.

The region was plunged into fresh tensions last year when North Korea resumed missile tests.

On Saturday, Pyongyang fired an apparent ballistic missile that flew roughly 270 kilometers (168 miles) at a height of 550 kilometers (342 miles), according to the South Korean military.

It is the ninth launch this year from North Korea.