By Zachary Keck
North and South Korean naval boats exchanged fire on Tuesday, but the skirmish won’t impact otherwise improving ties.
North and South Korean naval patrol boats exchanged fire on Tuesday, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The incident occurred near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas. A statement released by the Republic of Korea (ROK) Joint Chiefs of Staff said said the incident began when the North Korean patrol boat crossed into South Korean waters, prompting an ROK naval patrol boat in the area to send warning messages and fire a warning shot in an attempt to get the North Korean vessel to retreat back across the maritime border. Instead of retreating, however, the North Korean vessel responded to the warning shot by firing at the ROK naval patrol boat.
The ROK naval patrol began firing at the North Korean vessel in response. A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson clarified that neither boat fired directly at the other and ultimately neither sustained any damages. The North Korean vessel returned across the border about ten minutes after the episode began. The ROK boat fired around 90 rounds altogether.
“We are now watching North Korean troop movements and tightening vigilance against any additional provocations,” the spokesperson added, according to AFP.
Read the full story at The Diplomat