Seoul [South Korea], September 26: The South Korean military has fired warning shots after a North Korean merchant ship allegedly crossed the maritime border between the two countries.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced that it fired warning shots at a North Korean ship on the morning of September 26, according to Yonhap. The incident occurred in the Yellow Sea, the western sea of the Korean Peninsula.
The JCS accused the North Korean merchant vessel of crossing the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, near the frontline island of Baengnyeong at around 5 a.m. The South Korean military used loudspeakers and fired warning shots, forcing the North Korean ships to withdraw from the waters. The JCS said it had followed all standard procedures.
North Korea has not commented on this incident.
The NLL is considered the maritime boundary between the two countries, established after the 1950s but North Korea does not recognize the legality of the NLL. The above sea area has been the scene of many deadly clashes.
North and South Korea are technically still at war because the 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pledged to pursue peace with North Korea through dialogue and exchanges. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly this week, Mr. Lee stressed that the era of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula should end, declaring that Seoul had no intention of hostile action.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed interest in resuming dialogue with the United States but only if Washington stops calling on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons . Meanwhile, Kim has ruled out dialogue with South Korea and dismissed the possibility of unification, according to Yonhap.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
