Warning Shots Exchanged With North

There has been another exchange of fire between North and South Korea, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul).

Early Monday morning, a North Korean merchant ship crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea, near the island of Baengnyeong, said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

South Korean naval vessels in the area issued warning messages and fired around 20 rounds in warning and the ship retreated.

Shortly thereafter, Pyongyang claimed a South Korean naval vessel violated its Military Demarcation Line on the excuse of pursuing an unidentified vessel and fired 10 rockets into the Yellow Sea.

The JCS said the navy had conducted a “normal operation” in response to the claims of a border intrusion and called North Korea’s rocket launches a “provocation” and a violation of a 2018 deal prohibiting “hostile acts” in border areas, reported Reuters.

The latest exchange comes amid growing tensions following a significant increase in missile testing by the North.