(2nd LD) N. Korean patrol, fishing vessels cross western sea border

(ATTN: ADDS North's response in paras 6-7)

SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- Two North Korean vessels crossed the de facto western maritime border Friday amid heightened tensions in inter-Korean relations, Seoul's military said.

The Navy fired five warning shots at the North Korean vessels -- a fishing boat and a patrol boat -- as they trespassed across the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, widely known as the Northern Limit Line, at around 7:30 a.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

They returned to the northern side about eight minutes after they entered South Korean controlled waters, it added.

This marked the second time that a North Korean vessel crossed the western sea border since Pyongyang conducted its long-range missile test in February.

On Feb. 8, a day after the provocation, a North Korean patrol boat crossed into the South Korean territory but retreated after the Navy fired warning shots.

But the North claimed that the South has made a military provocation by attacking its Navy vessels.

"We repeatedly warned that they (the North) should retreat, but they didn't... The South made a military provocation and we are ready to attack (the South)," North Korea's Central TV Station reported citing a statement by the North's Army.

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.

A report submitted by the Defense Ministry to parliament earlier this month showed that the number of fishing boats from North Korea and China operating in the sea around the NLL have doubled in 2016, compared with previous years.

Military officials said that the NLL intrusion might be intended to test their combat readiness, adding that they are staying alert and keeping a close eye on any strange movement in the North.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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