North Korea artillery fires near South Korean warship near disputed maritime border

Описание: North Korea today fired at least one artillery round near a South Korean warship, south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), near the South's Yeonpyeong island.

The incident comes after North Korean ships on Tuesday crossed the NLL, a boundary the regime in Pyongyang does not recognise. South Korean vessels fired warning shots near the ships, driving them back to the northern side.

In an apparent Response, North Korea today fired artillery at a South Korean ship on a routine patrol mission.

South Korea's military returned artillery fire into water near one North Korean ship, but didn't say whether it was fired from sea or land.

Residents of Yeonpyeong island, which lies just south of the Northern Limit Line took refuge in bomb shelters. Four people on the small speck pf land were killed in 2010 when North Korean artillery attacked the island.

Reuters reports: "North Korea has refused to recognise the so-called Northern Limit Line that was drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War and has frequently challenged it with intrusions of ships or more recently by firing artillery near or across the line.

"Earlier on Thursday, North Korea had issued its latest threat to 'blow up' any South Korean warships, in an angry response to an incident earlier in the week when the South fired warning shots at the North's patrol boats that breached the line. The North accused South of 'a grave provocation at the time and said its vessels were merely trying to contain Chinese fishing boats that were in the area illegally.

"Also, earlier on Thursday, the South's Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said North Korea had no business interfering in operations of South Korean naval vessels south of the Northern Limit Line."