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On Monday both regions fired warning shots towards the western coast where they have a disputed maritime border. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, around 3:50 am local time its navy fired warning shots in a move to deter a North Korean vessel from violating the Northern Limit Line.
In response, at approximately 5:15 am local time, North Korea fired 10 artillery shells towards the boundary after accusing a South Korean ship of entering North Korean waters.
According to a spokesperson from North Korea, “the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army … ordered to fire 10 shots from multiple rocket launchers to sternly send back the enemy’s vessel”.
The disputed boundary is poorly marked and has been the subject of much conflict between the two Koreas for years.
In recent weeks, North Korea’s string of weapons tests has been seen as preparation for another nuclear weapon test, which has been supported by recent intelligence.
It would be the first nuclear weapons test by North Korea in five years and would provoke a strong response from the United States and South Korea.
Earlier this month, a law was passed in North Korea which declared the country as a nuclear weapons state which saw Kim Jong-Un scrap all possibility of discussions of denuclearisation.
In recent weeks, the leader of North Korea has personally visited missile launches to observe the progress.
READ MORE: Japan confirms date for military drills with US and Britain
In response, Japan, the United States and North Korea launched military drills both by air and by sea.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, is the official paper of the Central Committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea and it reported a successful missile launch two weeks ago which was supervised by Kim Jong-Un.
According to the news report, “strong action measures were being pursued to remarkably strengthen the country’s war deterrence in response to the prevailing situation and the demands of the revolution”.
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