North Korean Fishing Vessels Violated NLL Again

North Korean fishing boats again crossed over the inter-Korean sea border early Monday morning before retreating with the approach of South Korean naval vessels, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Four North Korean boats encroached into South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea off Yeonpyeong Island at around 5:40 a.m. They returned to the North side at 6:06 a.m. after South Korean naval forces appeared and made warning announcements, the JCS said.

In response, 3 South Korean navy ships were dispatched to the scene and fired warning shots and warning broadcasts. And 20 minutes later, they returned to the north of the NLL around 6:06 am.

A total of 35 North Korean fishing boats have intruded into South Korean waters in 12 cases this year.

In particular, since May 26, North Korean boats have intruded into the NLL except for only one day, May 29.

An official at the JCS said, “Any strange developments in the North part have not been found in the process. The South Korean navy is now conducting a through investigation into the accident to find what motivated the North Korean boats to violate the NLL.”

Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com