S. Korea fires warning shots to stop 2 boats from the north

May 27, 2016Initiative

(May 30th, 2016) As usual in such encounters, North Korea threatened retaliation after South Korea on May 27 fired what it called warning shots when a patrol boat and fishing boat from the North crossed the disputed sea border off the west coast of the Korean peninsula. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the first congress of the country's ruling Workers' Party in 36 years, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 9, 2016. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the first congress of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party in 36 years, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo taken by Kyodo May 9, 2016. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

The two vessels from the North retreated about eight minutes after the South Korean navy fired five artillery shots, South Korean officials told Reuters.

The North Korean boats had crossed the Northern Limit Line, a border that the North disputes, near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, according to the South Korean military.