by Steve Han
North Korean artillery fired two shots toward a South Korean navy patrol ship south of the two Koreas’ disputed maritime border on Thursday, but missed the vessel, according to a South Korean military official.
In response, South Korea fired back at the North Korean naval vessel five times, said the official. There were no known injuries from the exchange of fire.
The attacks occurred near Yeongpyeong-do, the island North Korea shelled in 2010. Four South Koreans were killed in the incident. This time, residents of the island evacuated to bomb shelters. No further firing took place after the initial exchange, South Korean officials said.
The so-called Northern Limit Line, the disputed waters off of the Korean peninsula’s western coast, was drawn up after the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953. For decades, both Koreas claimed the area by launching attacks across the border.
North Korea issued a warning earlier in the day, saying it will “blow up” South Korean ships after the South fired warning shots at North’s patrol boats for breaching the border a few days ago. The North accused the South of “a grave provocation.”
