[Exclusive] North Korean Merchant Ship Violates NLL... Warning Shots Fired

On September 26, at around 5 a.m., a North Korean merchant vessel violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the northwestern waters. North Korea unexpectedly sent a merchant ship south of the NLL during the early morning hours. The South Korean military immediately dispatched naval vessels, issued warning communications, and fired warning shots to drive the ship away.

Yonhap News Agency

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Typically, when a North Korean vessel crosses the NLL, the military responds by issuing a warning via the international maritime communication network. If the warning is ignored, warning shots are fired, and if the vessel continues to move south, the military proceeds to direct fire. The North Korean merchant vessel retreated after receiving both the warning communication and warning shots from the South Korean military.

In April of this year, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un stated at the launch ceremony of the new 5,000-ton destroyer "Choe Hyon" that "ships will be operated in peacetime in the intermediate line waters." The term "intermediate line" appeared for the first time. Since there was no detailed explanation regarding the intermediate line, its meaning remains unclear. However, some analysts believe that, since Chairman Kim declared inter-Korean relations as those of "two hostile states" in December 2023, North Korea may be attempting to assert a new maritime boundary line.

Experts on North Korea have observed that "the intermediate line may refer to a newly asserted maritime boundary between the two Koreas following North Korea's declaration of inter-Korean relations as those of two hostile states."

North Korea does not recognize the NLL as the maritime boundary between the two Koreas. Since the fourth inter-Korean general-level military talks in 2004, North Korea has claimed its own "West Sea Guard Line." This line is a unilateral boundary drawn by North Korea south of the NLL.

In October 2022, when a North Korean merchant vessel violated the NLL and retreated after warning shots from the South Korean military, North Korea also mentioned a "maritime military demarcation line." At the time, this was interpreted as referring to the West Sea Guard Line.

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