Naval ships fire warning shots at intruding NK fishing boats

A fleet of North Korean fishing boats crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean border, in the Yellow Sea Friday but turned back after the South Korean Navy fired warning shots. This was the first time for the South Korean Navy to fire warning shots at North Korean fishing boats.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, six North Korean fishing boats crossed the border by half a mile (about 0.9 kilometers) northwest of Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea from 11:44 a.m. to 3 p.m. Two South Korean naval speedboats immediately rushed to the area, maneuvered to block them, and aired a warning message twice, saying, “You have crossed the Northern Limit Line. Retreat to the North immediately.”

The fishing boats ignored the message and continued fishing in waters south of the maritime border, so the speedboats fired dozens of warning shots with 20-milimeter Vulcan automatic cannons around 3 p.m.

A South Korean military source said, “The warning shots fell to waters within a distance where the North Korean fishermen could recognize,” adding, “All the fishing boats retreated to north of the Northern Limit Line around 4 p.m.”

“The North Korean military showed no special signs and coastal artillery guns at nearby bases in the North were not opened.”

North Korean patrol boats were also maneuvering on coastal waters in the North’s Hwanghae Province, but did not approach areas near the border.

Seoul has beefed up surveillance to keep in check a potential provocation by Pyongyang, judging that the string of border violations by North Korean fishing boats in recent weeks could signal the North’s attempt to nullify and dispute the sea border by taking advantage of the political situation ahead of the December presidential election in the South.

According to the South Korean military, seven North Korean fishing boats on Sept. 12 crossed the border twice for 14 incursions, 13 on Sept. 14, eight on Sept. 15, and twice Thursday. Such boats have committed more than 40 incursions combined including Friday`s violations. They usually entered on and off 0.4 to 1.2 miles in the southern waters of the line to fish for crabs.

A South Korean military source said, “If the North Korean military makes a provocation under the pretext of our military’s crackdown on border violations by North Korean fishing boats, we will promptly, accurately and adequately respond without hesitation. If North Korean fishing boats that cross the Northern Limit Line refuse to return to the North despite warning messages or shots, we could launch an operation to seize them.”

ysh1005@donga.com