Two North Korean vessels crossed the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, but returned North after South Korean ships fired warning shots.
 
Seoul’s Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) said a North Korean patrol boat and fishing boat had trespassed across the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, widely known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), at about 7:30 a.m. Friday and ventured 700 meters into South Korean waters.
 
The JCS said South Korean ships had fired five warning shots after a warning broadcast. The two vessels returned to the northern side at about 7:38 a.m.
 
Although the incident appears to show an attempt by a North Korean fishing boat to defect to the South and an attempt to prevent the move by the North Korean patrol ship, Seoul officials are not ruling out the possibility that the North may have crafted the incident.
 
The JCS said the South Korean military is closely monitoring North Korean forces and stands ready to meet further provocations.