The South Korean army fired warning shots to repel a patrol boat from the North, which crossed the disputed maritime border between the two countries, Seoul announced on Sunday April 16.
The boat crossed the Northern Limit Line, known by its English name Northern Limit Line (NLL), on Saturday near the South Korean island of Baekryeong, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
"
Our Navy's high-speed boat sent warning messages, fired warning shots and immediately repelled
" the patrol boat, the statement added.
“
Our army is prepared to face various provocations and to maintain a decisive combat position while closely monitoring the movements of the enemy
”, underlines the same source.
"Irreversible"
The de facto maritime border, which has never been officially recognized by the North, has long been the scene of tensions between the two Koreas.
The two countries have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice, without a peace treaty.
In weapons tests conducted by Pyongyang last year, a missile landed south of this line, near South Korean territorial waters for the first time since the end of the war.
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In response, Seoul launched three missiles, suspended air routes and warned residents of the region's islands to seek refuge in bunkers.
North Korea has increased its weapons tests in recent months and declared that its status as a nuclear power was "
irreversible
", definitively closing the door to any negotiation on its disarmament.
South Korea and the United States have strengthened their military cooperation and increased joint large-scale maneuvers in the region, which has enraged Pyongyang, which considers these exercises as dress rehearsals for an invasion of its territory or to a reversal of his regime.