Seoul Fires Warning Shots at North Korean Merchant Ship in Volatile Peninsula Waters
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Reuters via Mehr News Agency, the South Korean military announced that it fired warning shots after a North Korean commercial ship crossed the maritime border between the two Koreas in disputed waters of the Yellow Sea.
The Joint chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea said this incident occurred early this morning along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. They added that following the warning fire, the vessel retreated.
The JCS also stated that today’s incident involved verbal and operational warnings consistent with standard protocols.
Al Jazeera reported that around 5 a.m. local time (20:00 GMT), a Pyongyang-owned commercial ship crossed this maritime boundary near Baengnyeong Island off South Korea’s coast. The vessel remained south of this border for about an hour and reportedly moved as far as five kilometers past it into southern waters, according to South Korean military officials.
the waters surrounding what is known as the “northern Limit Line”-drawn after the 1950-53 Korean War-have historically been sites of deadly naval clashes.north Korea does not recognize this line as an official boundary.
In January 2024, North Korean leader Kim jong un described this maritime boundary as ”illegal” and warned that even minor incursions into North Korean territory would be considered “acts provoking war.”
he later reiterated these threats, calling it a “phantom line” unsupported by international law or legal justification.
The Joint Chiefs further confirmed that South Korea’s military remains on full alert status.
