North, South Korea Fire Warning Shots On Maritime Border: Report

South Korea's military fired warning shots at a North Korean ship early Monday deeming the vessel had crossed the adversaries' disputed maritime border, prompting the North to fire warning volleys of...

Official and local media reported that the South Korean military fired warning shots at a North Korean ship before dawn on Monday, claiming that the ship had crossed the disputed maritime border between the two rivals, prompting North Korea to respond with warning fire.

A North Korean merchant ship crossed what is known as the Northern Limit Line at 3:42 a.m.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said troops retreated north after the South's navy fired warning shots.

The Korean People's Army in Pyongyang claimed that a South Korean military ship "invaded" the de facto border by about 2.5 to 5 kilometers (1.

5 to 3 miles) a few minutes later and that the KPA fired 10 warning shots from the country's west coast.

The coastal defense units of the KPA on the Western Front took an initial countermeasure to forcefully expel the hostile warship by firing 10 shells from several missile launchers towards the territorial waters, where hostile sea movement was detected,

A spokesperson for the KPA General Staff said in a statement at 5:15 a.m.

"The General Staff of the Korean People's Army once again issued a serious warning to the enemies who launched the naval intervention following provocations such as artillery fire and loudspeaker broadcasts," he added.

The maritime border is a flashpoint and has been the site of several inter-Korean clashes over the years.

Tensions have risen in recent weeks, with North Korea carrying out several missile launches and artillery bombardments that have alarmed South Korea and Japan and alarmed their Western allies.

Pyongyang has significantly intensified its military exercises recently as Seoul and Washington said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is on the cusp of what could be his country's seventh nuclear test.

Monday's warning shootout comes on the same day that US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is scheduled to hold three:

The way talks with allies Japan and South Korea in Tokyo show unity after a large number of North Korean launches.

Earlier this month, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile, fired several artillery shells and fired fighter jets near its southern border in another show of force.

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