Russia summons North Korean diplomat over border clash

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian foreign ministry has summoned North Korean charge d'affairs on Wednesday over the incident in the Sea of Japan.

The ministry expressed Jin Jong-hyeop, the interim charge d'affairs at the North Korean Embassy in Moscow, "a serious concern" in connection with a confrontation between Russian border guards and North Korean poachers.

On Tuesday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said a country's coast guard ship detected two North Korean vessels and 11 motorboats fishing illegally in Russian territorial waters.

One of the vessels was detained immediately, and the crew of the other vessel opened fire, wounding three Russian servicemen, but was then chased and captured, it said.

"Jin Jong-hyeop was told that the Russian side is taking decisive steps to detain the perpetrators of illegal actions. The Korean side was demanded to take comprehensive measures to prevent similar incidents," the ministry said in a statement on its official website.

Both North Korean vessels and their crews were accompanied to the Russian port of Nakhodka, where they are expected to stay till the end of the investigation.