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North Korea warned Friday that it was prepared to fire on sight without warning at South Korean naval vessels it accused of violating their disputed Yellow Sea border, AFP reported.

The Korean People's Army (KPA) said 17 South Korean high-speed patrol boats had crossed into the North's territorial waters in the first week of May "under the pretext" of intercepting Chinese fishing boats.

Issuing what it called an "emergency special warning," the KPA said the North Korean military would henceforth "make a sighting strike without any prior warning" on any South Korean naval ship deemed to have entered its waters.

In the event of any armed response, the KPA will "successively deal strong second, third and more retaliatory strikes at them," according to a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency.

The South Korean defence ministry flatly denied the charges of incursions by its vessels, and accused the North of seeking to stir up tensions.

In a message to the KPA command, ministry spokesman Kim Nin-Seok said any aggression would be met with a strong, stern response "to the degree where you will bitterly repent."