North Korea threatened military retaliation after South Korea fired warning shots at intruding fishing boats, in a recent flare up in already frayed relations between the two Koreas.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, North Korean fishing boats crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) to South-controlled waters. The South Korean navy fired warning shots at six boats that went beyond the border in the Yellow Sea on Friday. The boats retreated and none were reportedly hit. Another vessel was seen 400 meters (1,312 feet) across the border on Saturday but immediately left after receiving a verbal warning. North Korea claimed that the boats were Chinese fishing vessels.
Pyongyang accused Seoul of “going on a shooting rampage” which it deemed as “an adventurous military provocation” and claimed that “it is ready for an operation order to turn the Yellow Sea into a trap for the enemy,” Korean Central News Agency reported. Senior government officials in Seoul said that the North’s threat was an “unreasonable” act aimed at diverting the North Korean public’s attention from internal power struggles.
