South Korean forces fired warning shots on Sunday after North Korean troops accidentally crossed their common border, Seoul’s military said, as tensions rose on the Korean peninsula following a series of retaliatory exchanges between the two. sides.
At a press conference on Tuesday (11), the South Korean military appeared to downplay the importance of the shooting, saying that the North Korean soldiers retreated quickly and did not appear to have the intention of invading the southern side, based on information that cannot be made public.
“There were no unusual movements other than the North Korean army immediately moving north following our warning shots,” said Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The South Korean military -Koreans are closely monitoring the movements of the North Korean military and taking necessary measures.”
The report of the incident comes amid rising tensions after hundreds of garbage-filled balloons launched from the North landed in the South and the Seoul government resumed propaganda broadcasts on loudspeakers across the border.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned on Sunday night that the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts was “a prelude to a very dangerous situation” and that South Korea would be subject to an unspecified “new counteraction” from the North if it continued with the tactic.
The demilitarized zone that divides North and South Korea is one of the most heavily armed borders in the world. Surrounded by high fences and littered with landmines, it is virtually empty of human activity.
Sunday’s incident marked the first case of shooting inside the DMZ since 2020, when there was an accidental exchange of fire between the two Koreas, said Lee, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Lee said North Korean troops returned across the Military Demarcation Line that runs through the center of the DMZ following the warnings. The shots did not cross into the North Korean side of the DMZ, he added.
Lee noted that the DMZ area is forested and the markers are not visible without distinct paths.
The South Korean military said about 20 North Korean soldiers were involved, but could not determine how many actually crossed the line. They did not disclose the number of warning shots fired.
Source: CNN Brasil
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