North Korea, South Korea Ships Fire Shots At Disputed Sea Border

A South Korea naval ship fired warning shots Tuesday after a North Korea patrol boat crossed a disputed maritime border off the west coast of the peninsula and shot back prior to retreating, a South Korea defense ministry official said, according to Reuters.

The official told Reuters that there were no casualties on the South Korean side.

The incident occurred near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, when the North patrol boat moved into the South’s water, a South Korea ministry spokesman said. “Our side fired back when the North Korean patrol boat opened fire,” he said, according to the Courier Mail. “There was no damage.”

The North Korean boat was in South Korea-controlled waters for about 10 minutes before it retreated to its waters, said a Seoul defense official who requested anonymity due to official policy.

In the past, many sailors from the North and the South have been killed in clashes in the disputed maritime area. Pyongyang boats have often crossed what's often referred to as the Northern Limit Line, which the North doesn't recognize as a sea border, Reuters wrote.

Tuesday's incident took place three days after a high-level North Korea delegation made a surprise visit to the South and agreed to resume senior-level dialogue, the Courier Mail wrote. They agreed to continue talks on mending ties that had been cut in February -- a move that raises hope for mending the relationship between North Korea and South Korea, Reuters wrote.