(3rd LD) S. Korea warns N.K. vessel crossing western sea border

(ATTN: REWRITES headline, lead; ADDS reaction from rival parties)

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean Navy on Monday fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat that crossed the de facto western maritime border following the North's long-range rocket launch a day earlier.

The South's Navy fired five rounds of warning shots against the North's patrol boat, which trespassed across the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, widely known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), at around 6:55 a.m., according to a Navy official.

The vessel retreated northward about 20 minutes after it intruded into South Korean territory.

On Sunday, the North launched a long-range rocket carrying what it called an Earth observation satellite, inviting strong international condemnation. Seoul and Washington see the launch as a cover for a banned intercontinental ballistic missile test.

The North's patrol boats have frequently intruded into South Korean territorial waters by crossing the NLL. The communist neighbor has long demanded that the line be moved farther south.

"The South Korean military is on high alert, beefing up surveillance near the NLL and monitoring any abnormal activities by North Korean soldiers," the official said.

President Park Geun-hye has called for more vigilance against North Korea's possible provocations in the wake of the North's Jan. 6 nuclear test and its missile launch.

Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned Sunday that North Korea is highly likely to make tactical provocations at an unexpected location and timing, calling for combat readiness.

Pyongyang does not acknowledge the NLL, which was drawn unilaterally by the U.S.-led United Nations Command when the 1950-53 Korean War entered into a cease-fire. The two Koreas fought bloody battles in 1999, 2002 and 2009 near the border.

Rival parties called for the military to have full combat readiness, labeling the North's NLL crossing as a "deliberate provocation."

"The North Korean military's intrusion is a clear violation of the 1953 Armistice Agreement," said Kim Yong-woo, a spokesman at the ruling Saenuri Party. "It was quite intentional as the country made back-to-back provocations during the Lunar New Year's holiday."

The two Koreas still technically remain in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea urged North Korea to stop its reckless provocations.

"Our military should be fully ready for further signs of North Korea's provocations," said Kim Sung-soo, the party's spokesman.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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