[3rd Report] North Violates NLL with Merchant Ship... South-North Return Fire Response

Amid ongoing 'territorial disputes' over Hambakdo, an uninhabited island near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, North Korean military facilities can be seen on Hambakdo as viewed from Maldo-ri, Seodo-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, on the morning of the 24th. On this day, a Ministry of National Defense official stated that the structures on Hambakdo are buildings and military barracks constructed by North Korean troops for self-sufficiency, with supporting foundations installed for building the barracks. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] In the early morning of the 24th, a North Korean merchant ship crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea and retreated after receiving warning shots from our military. The North Korean military also fired 10 rocket artillery rounds as a threat, claiming that South Korean vessels had crossed the Maritime Military Demarcation Line.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "At around 3:42 a.m. on this day, a North Korean merchant ship (vessel name: Mupoho) crossed the NLL about 27 km northwest of Baengnyeongdo in the West Sea, and our military took measures to drive it away with warning communications and warning shots." The North Korean vessel retreated north of the NLL.

Additionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported, "From around 5:14 a.m. on this day, we detected 10 rocket artillery rounds fired by North Korea in the maritime buffer zone north of the West Sea NLL near Jangsan-got, Hwanghae-namdo, and no falling shells were observed in our territorial waters." North Korea's firing in the maritime buffer zone violates the September 19 Military Agreement.

The North Korean General Staff also announced through a spokesperson shortly after the Joint Chiefs' notification, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency, "At around 3:50 a.m. today, a South Korean Navy escort ship belonging to the 2nd Fleet crossed 2.5 to 5 km into our maritime military demarcation line about 20 km northwest of Baengnyeongdo under the pretext of controlling unidentified vessels and conducted warning shots, raising a maritime confrontation."

The military views the vessel's crossing of the NLL not simply as an 'incursion' but as a 'violation' and is investigating the intent and circumstances. Military authorities are analyzing with emphasis on the possibility that the North Korean merchant ship's crossing of the NLL in the early morning was an 'intentional act.'

Particularly, attention is being paid to North Korea's actions to create tension in adjacent waters immediately after China's Party Congress ended. The sequence of events?North Korean merchant ship crossing the NLL the day after China's Party Congress and threatening our military's legitimate expulsion measures with rocket artillery?raises the possibility of a deliberate provocation by North Korea. North Korea even mentioned 'loudspeaker provocations' unrelated to this situation.

Military authorities are focusing on the possibility that North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches, threatening flights near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), firing artillery in the maritime buffer zone prohibited under the September 19 Military Agreement, and deliberately causing military tension in the NLL maritime area are intended to build another pretext for provocation and to test the South's readiness posture.