North Korea has dispatched high-speed, wave-piercing, stealth patrol watercraft near the western maritime border.
 
A South Korean military official said Wednesday that North Korea’s Very Slender Vessels (VSV) were seen recently cruising in the northern part of the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
 
The South Korean military authorities presume that the North operates about seven VSVs.
 
Armed with 30-millimeter naval guns and torpedoes, VSVs can move faster than South Korean guided missile patrol gun boats and thus enhance the North’s infiltration capabilities.
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has emphasized the development of VSV, which were also observed late last year and earlier this year.