The South Korean navy fired warning shots earlier today to end a brief incursion by a North Korean patrol boat across the sensitive maritime border, Seoul´s defence ministry said.
It was the first such boundary violation in four months, and came ahead of Friday´s opening ceremony of the Asian Games in the South Korean port city of Incheon, in which North Korea is also a participant.
The patrol boat came 0.5 nautical miles (around 900 metres) inside the South side of the disputed Yellow Sea border shortly after midday (0300 GMT), a defence ministry spokesman said.
“One of our naval vessels gave a verbal warning by loudspeaker and then fired six warning rounds,” the spokesman told.
The North Korean ship returned across the border minutes later, he added.
