S. Korea fires warning shots after N. Korean boats cross maritime border

[markomalley]

From Stars & Stripes:

Two North Korean boats crossed the disputed maritime border Friday but quickly retreated after the South fired warning shots, an official said.

The incident, which lasted less than 10 minutes, occurred amid tensions on the divided peninsula that have spiked since Pyongyang staged its fourth nuclear test in January.

The North Korean fishing boat and a patrol vessel crossed the border in the Yellow Sea on the western edge of the peninsula around 7:30 a.m., and traveled about half a mile inside South Korean waters, a defense ministry official said.

A South Korean navy patrol boat broadcast verbal warnings, then fired five warning shots from a 40 mm cannon, repelling the North’s vessels at 7:38 a.m., the official said.

(remainder snipped)