Five West Sea Islands

The Northern Limit Line (NLL) was established by the United Nations Command (UNC) on August 30, 1953, following the end of the Korean War. The line stood unopposed until 1973, when North Korean representatives made a claim of 12 nautical miles for their territorial waters, placing the Five West Sea Islands in North Korean territory.[4] North Korea continued to object to the NLL, and declared its own maritime border in 1999, called the "West Sea Maritime Military Demarcation Line," which just barely excludes the islands.[3]

The islands are in the middle of the maritime border between North and South Korea. Many of the major military clashes since the Korean War have occurred around these islands. On February 15, 1974, the North Korean navy sank a South Korean fishing boat, killing 13 people and capturing the lone survivor. During the same incident, they also captured another fishing boat with a crew of 14 people.[5] On March 26, 2010, A South Korean navy ship sank near Baengnyeondo, killing 46 crew members. An international investigation blamed a North Korean torpedo for sinking the ship. On November 23, 2010, North Korea fired around 170 artillery shells and rockets at Yeonpyeongdo, killing four South Koreans and wounding 19 others. North Korea accused South Korea of firing artillery shells into its territorial waters while conducting military exercises. This was the first deliberate attack by North Korean on South Korean civilians since the Korean War. Because of this, there are approximately 40 civilian bomb shelters on the islands.[3]

The islands are considered a nuisance for North Korea, as the southernmost military outpost of North Korea, Haeju, can be seen with the naked eye from Yeonpyeongdo, and the movement of North Korean ships can easily be tracked from the islands. Despite the military conflicts, the North and South have achieved better relations over the islands in recent years. The 2018 Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification, adopted by the leaders of North and South Korea, expanded permissible fishing areas and allowed nighttime fishing around the islands for the first time in 55 years.[3]