[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A South Korean vessel crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) due to a navigational error in the West Sea but has since returned.
According to the Central Regional Coast Guard Headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 17th, around 1 p.m. that day, a 4.59-ton South Korean transport vessel briefly crossed north of the NLL at a point approximately 11.4 km northwest of Udo near Yeonpyeongdo, Ongjin-gun, Incheon.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "Around 1 p.m. today, a small South Korean fishing vessel east of Yeonpyeong briefly crossed the NLL due to a navigational error but returned." The vessel stayed north of the NLL for about 10 minutes. It is known that there were no unusual movements from North Korean forces at that time.
The Navy detected the vessel crossing north of the NLL and informed the Coast Guard, and the vessel immediately returned to South Korean waters. The vessel had two Vietnamese crew members and one Chinese crew member on board, and it is understood that the captain was not on board separately. A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, "The military is cooperating with relevant agencies to investigate the overall circumstances of the crossing, and additional explanations will be provided once the investigation results are available."
The Coast Guard is investigating the specific circumstances, viewing that the foreign crew members crossed north of the NLL briefly due to a navigational error. A Coast Guard official stated, "According to the information received, the captain, who was monitoring from outside, noticed the vessel's course was abnormal, contacted the crew, and the vessel immediately returned to our waters," adding, "The vessel returned immediately after crossing north of the NLL, and the time spent in that area was very short."
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