N. Korean Ships Mistakenly Enter South’s Waters

The South Korean navy Friday chased from its waters North Korean gunboats that apparently strayed across a military demarcation line by mistake.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said the North Korean vessels crossed the line in thick fog and sailed about 4 miles to the south. They retreated three hours later when a South Korean destroyer and six other navy ships were dispatched, it said. Marine artillery and air force jets also went on alert.

No shots were fired during the intrusion along the island of Yonpyong, 93 miles west of Seoul.

The gunboats seemed to have entered South Korean waters by mistake while guarding North Korean fishing boats, the ministry said.

The intrusion came as Seoul conducted its biggest-ever civil defense drill to test its readiness against attack from the North.

It was the second border violation by North Korean gunboats in a month and came as the United States and South Korea await North Korea’s response to plans to discuss a peace treaty for the divided Korean Peninsula.

Five North Korean gunboats crossed the military demarcation line off the west coast in mid-May before they were chased out by South Korean navy ships.

Since April, North Korea has staged off-and-on armed demonstrations within the demilitarized zone in an apparent attempt to prove that the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War does not work. Since no peace treaty was signed at the end of the war, the two Koreas are still technically at war.

Their border is the world’s most heavily armed, with 2 million battle-ready troops facing each other on both sides.