South Korean patrol boat fires five warning shots to drive off North Korean intruders

A South Korean naval vessel fired warning shots Friday after a North Korean patrol boat and fishing boat crossed the countries’ disputed maritime border, Seoul’s defence ministry said.

The incident coincided with a prolonged push by North Korea for talks to reduce military tensions that escalated sharply after Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.

The two North Korean vessels crossed the Yellow Sea border around 7.30am but swiftly retreated at 7.38am after a South Korean navy patrol boat issued verbal warnings then fired five warning shots with a 40mm cannon, a ministry official said. No one is believed to have been injured.

It marked the second time this year that North Korean vessels have crossed the disputed border. The boats on Friday travelled about 640 metres inside South Korean waters, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staaff said in a statement.

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.

Both sides complain of frequent incursions by the other and there were limited naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009.