South, North Korea Exchange Naval Fire

A South Korean naval ship fired warning shots on Tuesday after a North Korean patrol boat crossed a disputed sea border off the peninsula's west coast and fired shots back before retreating, a South Korean defence official said.

There were no casualties on the South Korean side, he told Reuters.

The area has been the scene of clashes in the past that killed scores of sailors on both sides, with North Korean vessels frequently crossing the so-called Northern Limit Line, which it refuses to recognise as a maritime border.

Reporting by Jack Kim