The two Koreas exchanged fire today in contested seas off the coast of their peninsula. The shooting only lasted about two minutes—the North’s vessel was quickly forced to retreat after being nearly destroyed and the South’s ship was only lightly damaged. North Korea is demanding an apology, but both sides claim the other’s ships ventured into their waters. “It’s a regrettable incident,” said South Korean Commodore Lee Ki-sik. “We are sternly protesting to North Korea and urging it to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.” This is the first such skirmish since 2002, when six South Korean soldiers died in a similar incident.