South Korea fires warning shots at North's
patrol boat
(Reuters) - South Korea fired warning shots on Friday after
a North Korean patrol boat crossed a disputed maritime border to the west of
the divided peninsula, the South's military said.
Such incidents are not unheard of along the tense sea border
between the rivals but it came on the day that the Asian Games officially
opened in the South, with North Korean athletes participating.
A South Korean Defense Ministry official said the North
Korean vessel intruded into waters controlled by the South off Baengnyeong
island just after noon but it turned back six minutes after the South Korean
navy fired warning shots.
The two Koreas are technically still at war after their
1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty and their border is
one of the most heavily militarised in the world.
The disputed western waters are the most volatile area of
the border. Four years ago, North Korea shelled a South Korean island in the
region, killing four people. Earlier this year, the two sides fired hundreds of
artillery shells into each other's waters.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye told Reuters in an
interview this week that the door was open for talks with the North during the
upcoming U.N. General Assembly session.
But Park said the North must show sincerity in seeking
constructive dialogue and "walk the talk" in taking up South Korea's
offers for engagement aimed at ending a deadlock after a decade of warming
ties.
South Korea's military said on Monday it had recovered the
wreckage of an unmanned aircraft, believed to be a North Korean drone, in
waters off Baengnyeong island
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