Two South Koreas exchange warning shots near maritime border amid tensions

SEOUL, Oct 24 (Reuters) – North and South Korea fired warning shots off the west coast on Wednesday, accusing each other of violating the western maritime border amid heightened military tensions.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) broadcast a warning at about 3:40 am (1840 GMT) to see off North Korean merchant ships crossing the de facto waters of the Northern Limit Line (NLL). said it fired warning shots. Sunday).

According to state media, the North Korean military said a South Korean naval vessel violated the NLL and fired warning shots “under the pretext of chasing an unidentified vessel” before firing 10 shells.

A spokesman for the North Korean People’s Army General Staff Headquarters said in a statement quoted by the Korean Central News Agency, “We will fire 10 rounds from multiple rocket launchers near the waters where the enemy’s movements occurred. has ordered initial countermeasures to forcefully expel enemy warships.” news agency.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it conducted “normal operations” regarding the border invasion, calling the North Korean move a “provocation” and a violation of a 2018 military agreement prohibiting “hostile acts” in border areas. said there is.

“We reiterate our call on North Korea to immediately stop its consistent provocations and denunciations that undermine the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the international community,” the joint committee said in a statement.

The latest shootout comes amid heightened tensions, with North Korea testing weapons at an unprecedented pace this year.

In recent weeks, North Korea has launched several short-range ballistic missiles and hundreds of artillery shells from its east and west coasts in protest against South Korea’s military activities.

The South Korean military kicked off its annual Hoguk defense drill last week. The exercise, which runs through October 28, is designed to enhance our military and joint capabilities with the United States to counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

North Korea has reacted angrily to the exercise, calling it provocation and threatening countermeasures.Seoul and Washington say their exercises are defensive and aimed at deterring North Korea.

Reported by Choi Soo Hyang and Shin Hyun Hee.Editing by Diane Kraft and Stephen Coates

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