Northern Limit Line

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The controversial maritime border between North and South Korea. The three largest islands along the sea border are: 1 - Yeonpyeong , 2 - Baengnyeongdo , 3 - Daecheong.
A: Northern Limit Line determined by the UN troops in 1953 B: Maritime Demarcation Line required by North Korea since 1999

The Northern Limit Line (German: Nördliche Grenzlinie) or North Limit Line (NLL) is a controversial maritime demarcation line in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula . Their length is about 200 kilometers; it is about four kilometers wide. The Northern Limit Line was established in 1953 and is internationally regarded as the de facto sea ​​border between North Korea and South Korea .

History and geographic history

The demarcation line was unilaterally established by a commander of the UN troops on August 30, 1953 and is not part of the armistice agreement of 1953. Its original purpose was to prevent the penetration of South Korean ships into North Korean territory. However, recent events show that the border is now used to prevent North Korean ships from entering the south.

The line runs at a distance of about ten to thirty kilometers south of the North Korean mainland ( Hwanghae-namdo Province ) and north of some of the islands off the mainland that were assigned to South Korea in the ceasefire agreement. The largest of these is the island of Baengnyeongdo , located far to the west . In the east, the Northern Limit Line connects to the military demarcation line, which separates the North Korean from the South Korean mainland in the middle of the four-kilometer-wide demilitarized zone .

To this day, the Northern Border Line is not recognized by North Korea. In 1999, North Korea established a maritime demarcation line further south, which would include large parts of the islands assigned to South Korea in 1953. The state-run North Korean press agency KCNA literally referred to the Northern Limit Line as the “final line for stopping the defectors to the north” and rated it as “established by the US for the sake of self-interest ".

Both North and South Korean navies regularly patrol the Northern Limit Line. In particular, North Korean fishing boats, which are often accompanied by ships of the North Korean Navy, often cross the demarcation line because of the profitable crab fishery. Repeatedly - most recently on May 27, 2009, immediately after the North Korean nuclear weapons test in 2009 - North Korea warned that attempts to enforce the NLL as a legitimate sea border would be countered by force of arms.

Recent incidents

Depending on the changing tension between North and South Korea, border disputes also escalate along the Northern Limit Line.

Important events:

Map of the islands in the Yellow Sea bordering the Northern Limit Line
  • First incident at Yeonpyeong (June 9-15 , 1999) : Alternating clashes between a North and a South Korean patrol boat and a North Korean torpedo boat resulted in thirty deaths on the North Korean side.
  • Second incident at Yeonpyeong (June 29, 2002) : Two North Korean patrol boats crossed the demarcation line and attacked two South Korean boats. With the support of two South Korean corvettes and two other patrol boats, the North Korean boats were pushed back behind the Northern Limit Line. The skirmish claimed 13 lives on the North Korean side and six on the South Korean side.
  • Incident near Daecheong (November 10, 2009) : A North Korean gunboat crossed the Northern Limit Line, whereupon it waspushed backby a South Korean corvette and four patrol boats after firing warning shots. One to ten fatalities were recorded on the North Korean side.
  • Sinking of the South Korean ship ROKS Cheonan (March 26, 2010)
  • Yeonpyeong bombing (November 23, 2010): North Korean forces fired at least fifty shells onYeonpyeongIsland; the South Korean military stationed on the island responded with defensive shots. At least two people died and fifteen were injured.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Korean Armistice Agreement in the English-language Wikisource
  2. ^ Ending naval clashes on the Northern Limit Line and the quest for a West Sea peace regime . ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) In: Asian Perspectives , 2003 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.asianperspective.org
  3. ↑ Brief naval battle at the disputed border. In: FAZ (with historical outline)
  4. ↑ Truth behind “Northern Limit Line” Disclosed. KCNA
  5. ^ Northern Limit Line (NLL) West Sea Naval Engagements. Globalsecurity.org
  6. ↑ globalsecurity.org
  7. ↑ globalsecurity.org
  8. ↑ Brief naval battle at the disputed border. In: FAZ
  9. ↑ orf.at
  10. ↑ welt.de