Asia-Pacific

S Korea fires warning shots against DPRK boats

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-16 10:55

SEOUL - The South Korean Navy fired warning shots against two patrol boats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) allegedly violating their disputed maritime border on Saturday night, the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.

A DPRK naval boat crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) about 2.2 km into South Korean waters at 10:13 p.m. (1313 GMT) Saturday, Yonhap quoted Joint Chiefs of Staff officials as saying.

The boat sailed back to the DPRK waters after receiving a warning communication from the South Korean Navy, they said.

Another DPRK patrol boat violated the NLL in the Yellow Sea at 11:30 p.m. (1430 GMT), sailing about 2.1 km into South Korean waters, the Yonhap said. The boat retreated after the South Korea Navy fired two rounds of warning shots.

The incidents came after a South Korean Navy ship sank in March near the NLL, killing 46 sailors.

NLL was fixed unilaterally by the US-led United Nations Command after the 1950-1953 Korean War. South Korea holds the NLL as the de-facto western inter-Korean border, but the DPRK rejects the NLL and only recognizes the demarcation line further south of the NLL.