South Korea fires warning shots to repel North Korean vessel breaching sea boundary

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's military said it fired warning shots early Friday to drive away a North Korean merchant ship that briefly crossed the disputed western sea boundary between the rivals. The vessel crossed the Northern Limit Line near the South Korean border island of Baengnyeong around 5 a.m., but retreated after Seoul's military issued an audio warning and fired warning shots, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There were no immediate reports that North Korean forces returned fire or responded with force.

There were no immediate reports that North Korean forces returned fire or responded with force. The response was carried out in accordance with operational procedures, and the South Korean military remains in a heightened state of readiness to safeguard territorial waters, the JCS said.

The western sea boundary between the Koreas, known as the Northern Limit Line, is poorly marked and has been the scene of past skirmishes and attacks. In 2010, North Korea shelled a South Korean island and was accused of torpedoing a South Korean navy ship, events that killed multiple people and heightened regional tensions. North Korea does not recognize the NLL and argues for a boundary that penetrates deeper into South Korea–controlled waters. In January 2024, Kim Jong Un stated that his country does not recognize the NLL, and in the years since, Pyongyang has accelerated its weapons program and deepened ties with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The incident underscores the fragile security dynamic on the Korean Peninsula, where border patrols and sea boundaries remain sensitive flashpoints despite periodic diplomatic engagements aimed at easing tensions. Seoul has repeatedly said it will defend its territorial waters while seeking to maintain lines of communication with Pyongyang in hopes of resuming diplomacy.