South Korean Troops Fire More Warning Shots After 2nd Border Violation

North Korean soldiers once again did not return fire
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 11, 2024 1:00 AM CDT
Updated Jun 18, 2024 12:00 AM CDT
South Korean Troops Fire Warning Shots After Border Violation
North Korean soldiers stand near their military guard post as a North Korean flag flutters in the wind, seen from Paju, South Korea, Sunday, June 9, 2024.   (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
UPDATE Jun 18, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

South Korean soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the rivals' land border Tuesday morning for the second time this month, South Korea's military said. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers, while engaging in unspecified construction work on the northern side of the border, briefly crossed the military demarcation line that bisects the countries, the AP reports. It said the North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcast warnings and fired warning shots and the South's military didn't spot any suspicious activities after that. Tuesday's incident occurred in a different area along the central frontline region than last week's incident. The Joint Chiefs of Staff doesn't believe the North Korean soldiers intruded the border intentionally, and says the North did not return fire.

Jun 11, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean troops briefly violated the tense border earlier this week, South Korea's military said Tuesday, as the rivals are embroiled in Cold War-style campaigns like balloon launches and propaganda broadcasts. At 12:30pm on Sunday, some North Korean soldiers who were engaged in unspecified work on the northern side of the border crossed the military demarcation line that bisects the two countries, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Those North Korean soldiers carrying construction tools—some of them armed—immediately returned to their territory after South Korea's military fired warning shots and issued warning broadcasts, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It said North Korea had not conducted any other suspicious activities, the AP reports.

South Korea's military has assessed that the North Korean soldiers didn't appear to have intentionally crossed the border because the site is a wooded area and Military Demarcation Line signs there weren't clearly visible, a Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson says. South Korean media reports said that about 20-30 North Korean soldiers had entered South Korean territory about 165 feet after they likely lost their way. Bloodshed and violent confrontations have occasionally occurred at the Koreas' Demilitarized Zone, the world's most heavily armed border. While Sunday's incident happened amid simmering tensions between the two Koreas, observers say it won't likely develop into another source of animosity as South Korea believes the North Koreans didn't deliberately commit the border intrusion and North Korea also didn't return fire. (More South Korea stories.)

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