South and North Korea exchanged fire Tuesday morning after a North Korean vessel crossed a disputed sea border off the peninsula’s west coast, near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea.
The exchange of fire took place at around 9:50 a.m. when the North Korean patrol boat crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL), which acts as the de facto sea border between the two countries.
To force the vessel to retreat, the South Korean boat issued warning messages and fired a warning shot, the Korea Herald reported.
Instead of backing down, the North Korean boat fired back which forced the South Korean vessel to open fire again. The exchange of gunfire lasted about 10 minutes in total.
The North Korean vessel eventually made a retreat.
The vessels did not sustain damage as neither side had aimed its shots, the Korea Herald reported.
According to Reuters, North Korean vessels frequently cross the NLL, as the country refuses to recognize it as the maritime border.
The NLL was drawn by the U.S.-led United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War that lasted from 1950 to 1953.
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