South and North Korean patrol ships were reportedly on the verge of exchanging fire on Friday morning along the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea.

An official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said a 1,200-ton South Korean patrol vessel had faced off with a North Korean patroler in western waters with each side firing warning shots in a dangerous escalating of military tensions.

The North Korean vessel reportedly claimed the Southern boat had first intruded into the maritime border area as recognized by Pyongyang, and reportedly threatened to open fire if it did not immediately retreat southward.

In response, the South Korean navy, via the inter-Korean naval hotline, insisted that the area claimed by the North to be its territorial waters actually belongs to the South. The North Korean patroler reportedly stopped issuing threats only after Southern military officials stressed that they would respond with a strong counteraction to any hostile fire.