South Korea and North Korea fire warning shots at disputed sea border

The South Korean military then fired the warning shots, the Yonhap news agency quoted the general staff of the South Korean armed forces as saying. The ship then turned to the north.

For its part, the North Korean military stated that: a South Korean army ship had “entered” North Korean territory at a distance of 2.5 to five kilometers across the border. The North Korean army therefore fired ten artillery shells from the west coast as a warning.

North Korea never recognized border

The maritime border was drawn by a US-led UN force at the end of the Korean War in 1953. Pyongyang never recognized this border. There have been repeated incidents along the sea border between the two Korean states over the years.

Tensions in the region have risen sharply in recent weeks, partly because of a series of North Korean missile tests. The North Korean military also fired hundreds of artillery shells and launched warplanes into the border area with South Korea.

South Korea and the US have been warning for months that Pyongyang could be preparing a nuclear weapons test. It would be the first such test since 2017. (sda/afp)