A South Korean official at the Unification Ministry expressed hope that the brief exchange of fire on Tuesday between the South Korean Navy and a North Korean patrol boat will not have negative effects on the efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.
 
When asked about the incident's possible impact on the planned high-level inter-Korean talks, the official expressed hope that it would not have a significant impact at a time when the two Koreas are about to improve their strained ties.
 
Earlier in the day, a North Korean patrol boat violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto border in the Yellow Sea, but retreated after the South Korean military fired warning shots.