South Korea’s military has reported it fired warning shots as troops from the North crossed the two adversaries’ shared fortified border.
The breach by approximately 10 North Korean soldiers of the border into the South on Tuesday was the second such incident in 10 months, with tension between Pyongyang and Seoul simmering.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North Korean soldiers breached the border at about 5pm (08:00 GMT), according to state news agency Yonhap. They reportedly returned to the North after a warning was broadcast and warning shots were fired.
“Our military conducted warning broadcasts and warning shots after about 10 North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the eastern area of the demilitarized zone (DMZ),” the JCS said in a text message to reporters, according to the Reuters news agency.
“We are closely monitoring the movements of the North Korean military and taking necessary measures in accordance with operational procedures,” the statement from the South Korean military said.
The motive for the border crossing was not immediately clear.
North Korean troops crossed south of the MDL last June before warning broadcasts and shots saw them return home.
The incident did not escalate into a major source of tension, with South Korean officials assessing that the border intrusion had not been deliberate.
They noted that the site of the intrusion was a wooded area, that MDL signs were not clearly visible, and that the North Koreans were carrying construction tools.
The 248km (154-mile) long, 4km (2.5-mile) wide DMZ is the world’s most heavily armed border.
An estimated two million mines are peppered inside and near the border, which is also guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides.
Tension between the two Korean states is high, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his military nuclear capabilities and his alignment with Russia amid President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Kim has ignored calls by Seoul and Washington to resume denuclearisation negotiations.
Since his January 20 inauguration, United States President Donald Trump has said he would reach out to Kim again to revive diplomacy.
However, North Korea has said US hostilities against it have deepened since Trump’s inauguration.
