SEOUL: South Korea fired warning shots on Friday at a North Korean commercial vessel that crossed the maritime border in disputed waters off the Korean peninsula's west coast, and the vessel subsequently retreated, the South's military said.
The incursion early on Friday also involved South Korean military transmitting verbal warnings, and the operation followed standard protocol, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The waters around the so-called Northern Limit Line border, which was drawn up after the 1950-53 Korean War, have been the scene of deadly naval clashes in the past.
North Korea does not recognize the line as the border.
South Korea says North's long-range missiles at 'final stage'
Separately, South Korea's president said on Thursday that Pyongyang is at the "final stage" of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile which could hit the United States with nuclear weapons.
Seoul and its Western allies have failed to stop North Korea's weapons program, and Pyongyang says it will never give up its nuclear arsenal.
"Whether to gain leverage in talks with the United States or to secure its own regime, North Korea has kept developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear bombs to the US," President Lee Jae Myung said during a visit to the New York Stock Exchange.
"It does not seem to have succeeded yet, but it is said to be at the final stage, with only the re-entry technology left, and that too looks likely to be solved," he said.
Since taking office in June, Lee has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor and vowed to improve ties with North Korea.
Speaking in New York, he said that "the goal should be to freeze nuclear development, ICBM development and exports."
Halting further production and development of nuclear weapons would bring "major security gains," he said.
The South Korean president estimated his northern neighbor was producing enough material for "about 15 to 20 additional nuclear bombs each year."
"If left unchecked, the number of nuclear bombs would keep growing each year and its ICBMs would become more advanced," he said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ruled out denuclearization and has strengthened military ties with Russia in recent years.
Kim said this week that he was open to talks with Washington, but only if he can keep his nuclear weapons, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
