Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

South Korea fires a warning shot at North Korean vessel violating maritime border

The North Korean patrol boat was reportedly tracking a fishing boat that also crossed the maritime border

Holly Bancroft
Tuesday 08 March 2022 03:09 EST
Comments
A South Korean navy ship patrols near the western maritime border between South Korea and North Korea.
A South Korean navy ship patrols near the western maritime border between South Korea and North Korea. (REUTERS)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

South Korea fired a warning shot at a North Korean patrol vessel that tried to intervene when the military seized a fishing boat, the Yonhap news agency has reported.

A North Korean fishing boat crossed the maritime border between the two Koreas at around 9:30am (00:30 GMT) on Tuesday.

It was then seized and towed to South Korea’s Baengnyeongdo island for investigation, Yonhap said.

South Korean military fired a warning shot at a North Korean patrol boat that had briefly crossed the maritime border while tracking the fishing boat, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The two countries never signed a peace treaty after their war in the 1950s, so they technically remain at war.

Although the ceasefire has mostly held, there have been various moments where tensions have erupted. The maritime border is one of the most serious flashpoints for conflict.

The incident comes just before South Korea heads to the polls to vote for their next President.

The two main runners are the liberal Democratic Party candidate, Lee Jae-myung, and his conservative rival, Yoon Suk Yeol, from the People Power Party.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in