North and South Korean naval patrol boats briefly exchanged fire Tuesday near their disputed Yellow Sea border which has been the site of numerous clashes in the past, the South's defence ministry said.
The incident came as hopes had been raised of a constructive reboot in strained inter-Korean relations following the surprise visit of a top-ranking North Korean delegation to the South just three days before.
The defence ministry said the South's patrol boat had initially fired a warning shot after the North Korean vessel penetrated half a nautical mile inside the South's territorial waters.
Instead of retreating immediately, the North patrol boat opened fire, so "our side fired back," a ministry spokesman said, adding there was "no damage" sustained by the South Korean vessel.
Although the incident went beyond warning shots, the spokesman indicated that neither side had made a concerted effort to hit the other.
The incident took place around 9:50 am (0050 GMT) near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, and the North patrol boat retreated to its side of the border 10 minutes later.
The de-facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas -- the Northern Limit Line -- is not recognised by Pyongyang, which argues it was unilaterally drawn by US-led United Nations forces after the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Korean conflict ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty, and technically the two Koreas are still at war.
Both sides complain of frequent maritime incursions by the other and there were limited naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009.
In November 2010, North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong island, killing four South Koreans and briefly triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.
The latest scrap followed the shock visit to South Korea on Saturday by some of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's closest aides.
It was led by Hwang Pyong-So, a newly elected vice chairman of the nuclear-armed North's powerful National Defence Commission who is widely seen as Kim Jong-Un's number two.
The visit resulted in an agreement to resume a high-level dialogue that had been suspended for seven months as military tensions on the divided peninsula soared.
The delegation also delivered the message that Kim Jong-Un had no serious health problem, despite not being seen in public for more than a month.
AFP
Tue Oct 07 2014
![North, South Korea naval patrol boats exchange fire North, South Korea naval patrol boats exchange fire](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2014-10/71412653030_295x200.jpg)
The de-factor maritime boundary between the two Koreas is not recognised by Pyongyang.
![Istiadat Pertabalan Agong: Orang ramai dinasihat tidak cemas dengar tembakan meriam Istiadat Pertabalan Agong: Orang ramai dinasihat tidak cemas dengar tembakan meriam](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721193528_tbIstiadatPertabala.jpg)
Istiadat Pertabalan Agong: Orang ramai dinasihat tidak cemas dengar tembakan meriam
Orang ramai dinasihat tidak cemas jika terdengar bunyi tembakan meriam semasa memandu di Jalan Sultan Abdul Halim pada Jumaat dan Sabtu ini.
![Buang tulis 'PN' kepada bekas MP, Speaker minta hantar surat Buang tulis 'PN' kepada bekas MP, Speaker minta hantar surat](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721192211_SyedHussinDewanR.jpg)
Buang tulis 'PN' kepada bekas MP, Speaker minta hantar surat
Jelas Johari, sehingga kini, PN belum menghantar sebarang notis kepadanya bagi menarik paparan di skrin Dewan Rakyat mengenai status Syed Abu Hussin.
Istiadat Pertabalan Agong: Orang ramai dinasihat tidak cemas dengar tembakan meriam
Orang ramai khususnya warga kota dinasihatkan agar tidak cemas jika terdengar bunyi tembakan meriam semasa memandu di sepanjang Jalan Sultan Abdul Halim pada pagi Jumaat dan Sabtu ini.
Jangan 'shoot down' idea P-turn - Menteri Kerja Raya
Menteri Kerja Raya, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi minta YB Stampin, Chong Chieng Jen tidak 'shoot down' idea P-turn di Lebuhraya Pan Borneo yang beri kemudahan kepada pengguna.
#AWANInews
#AWANInews
![Tragedi MH17: Sedekad berlalu, keadilan akan terus dituntut Tragedi MH17: Sedekad berlalu, keadilan akan terus dituntut](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41720776307_UkraineCrisis.jpg)
Tragedi MH17: Sedekad berlalu, keadilan akan terus dituntut
Mahkamah itu dalam penghakiman memutuskan bahawa mahkamah tidak meragui sama sekali bahawa MH17 telah terkena sebutir peluru berpandu BUK yang ditembak dari padang di ladang di timur Ukraine.
Teroka peluang baharu ekonomi, kurangkan kebergantungan hutang
Menurut, Pensyarah Kanan, Fakulti Perniagaan dan Ekonomi, Universiti Malaya, Dr. Safiah Omar hutang boleh menjadi alat untuk memperoleh dana yang diperlukan tetapi pergantungan yang berlebihan boleh membawa kepada masalah kewangan jangka panjang, termasuk beban hutang yang tinggi serta mendorong kepada ketidakstabilan ekonomi
![Maybank perkenal tempoh bertenang 12 jam untuk peningkatan had pemindahan wang Maybank perkenal tempoh bertenang 12 jam untuk peningkatan had pemindahan wang](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-01/51704603925_TBMAYBANK.jpg)
Maybank perkenal tempoh bertenang 12 jam untuk peningkatan had pemindahan wang
Langkah ini dilakukan dalam usaha mengekang penipuan perbankan dalam talian, serta mencegah penipuan yang cuba meningkatkan had pemindahan transaksi.
![Teroka peluang baharu ekonomi, kurangkan kebergantungan hutang - Pakar Teroka peluang baharu ekonomi, kurangkan kebergantungan hutang - Pakar](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721188868_HBREAKHUTANG.jpg)
Teroka peluang baharu ekonomi, kurangkan kebergantungan hutang - Pakar
Negara-negara yang mempunyai hutang yang tinggi sering menghadapi kesukaran untuk membayar semula hutang.
Prabayar Siswa: KPT sambut baik pengumuman pakej rahmah
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi (KPT) menyambut baik pengumuman Kementerian Komunikasi yang menawarkan Pakej Rahmah Prabayar Siswa pada harga tidak melebihi RM30 dengan permulaan data minimum sebanyak 30GB untuk tempoh sah laku selama 180 hari.
![George Town dikenali semua, tiada keperluan tukar nama - Wong George Town dikenali semua, tiada keperluan tukar nama - Wong](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/41712139037_Beca.jpg)
George Town dikenali semua, tiada keperluan tukar nama - Wong
George Town telah dikenali seluruh rakyat Malaysia dan dunia sekian lama, justeru tiada keperluan untuk menukar nama ibu negeri Pulau Pinang itu.
![Harudis Busan, hero tragedi bot karam Harudis Busan, hero tragedi bot karam](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2013-06/41370098407_295x200.jpg)
Harudis Busan, hero tragedi bot karam
Harudis Busan, 41, menjadi penyelamat pertama tiba di tempat kejadian bersama dua adiknya.