MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - North and South Korean border patrol boats have briefly exchanged fire after a North Korean ship crossed the maritime border between the republics, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"One North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea at around 9:50 a.m.," the JCS was quoted as saying in a statement.
"To force the ship to retreat, our military sent warning messages and fired a warning shot. But the North fired back rather than backing down, which caused us to fire again," the South Korean military added. The North Korean ship then reportedly retreated.
During last weekend's visit of top-ranking Pyongyang's officials to the closing of the Asian Games in Icheon, South Korea, the two nations agreed to hold the first high-level talks in months.
The Korean Peninsula is formally in a state of war, as no peace treaty was signed after the Korean War of 1950-1953. Relations between North and South Korea worsened in 2010, when Seoul's Cheonan warship was sunk in the Yellow Sea. A South Korean investigation determined the vessel was hit by a North Korean torpedo.
On November 23, 2010, the disputed island of Yeonpyeongdo, was shelled by North Korean artillery, according to the South Korean reports. The incident killed two soldiers, with another 17 wounded.
