Oct 23, 2022 - World

North and South Korea exchange warning shots along maritime border

Rebecca Falconer

People sit near a television showing a news broadcast with a file photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), at a railway station in Seoul on October 10. — A news broadcast on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is shown on a Seoul, South Korea, street this month. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

The militaries of North and South Korea exchanged warning shots along their disputed maritime border on Monday, according to officials from both countries.

Why it matters: The exchange along the western sea boundary comes in the wake of the North Korean military's recent spate of missile tests.

Driving the news: The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it broadcast warnings and fired warning shots early Monday local time after a North Korean merchant ship crossed the Northern Limit Line — the de facto sea boundary drawn by the UN at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The North Korean military said it "fired 10 warning shots" in response, according to state media.

For the record: There were no immediate reports of fighting.

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North and South Korea exchange warning shots along maritime border

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