Russian border guards injured in attack by North Korean poachers

Three Russian guards patrolling territorial waters have been injured after North Koreans fishing illegally attacked them, Russia’s main security agency has said.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Tuesday that the guards noticed two North Korean racketeering ships and 11 motor boats in the Sea of Japan.

One of the crews then carried out an armed attack on the Russian patrol ship as it tried to stop them from poaching in Russian seas.

Three Russian patrol guards suffered injuries from the clash.

It is not known what weapons the North Korean fishing crew used.

The FSB later told the state-run TASS news agency that both ships, with a total crew of 56, have been apprehended and are being towed to Russia.

The foreign ministry said it will summon North Korea’s top diplomatic representative in Moscow over the detention of the racketeering vessels.

Russia's relations with the reclusive North Korea are typically cordial, and the border attack is a rare incident.

However, there was another incident involving North Korean fishermen in Russian shores last week, in which border guards detained 16 boats and over 250 people for poaching squid.

In 2016, a Russian border guard killed a North Korean fisherman and injured eight others after opening fire on a fishing vessel in the Sea of Japan, RT reported.

Additional reporting by agencies