South Korea fires a warning shot at North Korean vessel violating maritime border

The North Korean patrol boat was reportedly tracking a fishing boat that also crossed the maritime border

A South Korean navy ship patrols near the western maritime border between South Korea and North Korea. (REUTERS)

South Korea fired a warning shot at a North Korean patrol vessel that tried to intervene when the military seized a fishing boat, the Yonhap news agency has reported.

A North Korean fishing boat crossed the maritime border between the two Koreas at around 9:30am (00:30 GMT) on Tuesday.

It was then seized and towed to South Korea’s Baengnyeongdo island for investigation, Yonhap said.

South Korean military fired a warning shot at a North Korean patrol boat that had briefly crossed the maritime border while tracking the fishing boat, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The two countries never signed a peace treaty after their war in the 1950s, so they technically remain at war.

Although the ceasefire has mostly held, there have been various moments where tensions have erupted. The maritime border is one of the most serious flashpoints for conflict.

The incident comes just before South Korea heads to the polls to vote for their next President.

The two main runners are the liberal Democratic Party candidate, Lee Jae-myung, and his conservative rival, Yoon Suk Yeol, from the People Power Party.