Tensions on the rise Warning shots fired after North Korean soldiers cross the border

dpa

21.6.2024 - 06:14

South Korea's military again reports a border violation by North Korean soldiers. Warning shots are fired.

DPA

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  • According to the military, North Korean soldiers have once again crossed the border line with South Korea in the buffer zone between the two countries.
  • In yesterday's incident, South Korean border guards fired warning shots, whereupon the intruding soldiers withdrew across the military demarcation line.
  • It was the third time since the beginning of the month that such a border violation has been reported.

According to the military, North Korean soldiers have once again crossed the border line with South Korea in the buffer zone between the two countries. In yesterday's incident, South Korean border guards fired warning shots, whereupon the intruding soldiers withdrew across the military demarcation line, the General Staff in Seoul announced on Friday. It was the third time since the beginning of the month that such a border violation had been reported.

As before, the soldiers had been observed carrying out construction work within the demilitarized zone (DMZ), reported the national news agency Yonhap, citing a member of the top command. The brief border crossing appears to have been unintentional and the soldiers resumed their work after retreating.

In an undated image provided by the South Korean Ministry of Defence on 18 June 2024, North Korean soldiers can be seen carrying out construction work within the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
In an undated image provided by the South Korean Ministry of Defence on 18 June 2024, North Korean soldiers can be seen carrying out construction work within the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
Image: Keystone/South Korea Defense Ministry via AP

North Korea had recently sent hundreds of soldiers to various locations in the DMZ to carry out construction work. According to the South Korean military on Tuesday, they were presumably tasked with laying landmines as well as reinforcing roads used by the military and constructing defense facilities. These could be anti-tank barriers, it was said. According to the report, several soldiers have already been killed by landmine explosions since April.

Tensions on the rise

The DMZ still forms the de facto border between the two countries, which have been in a state of war under international law since the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The buffer zone, which is around 240 kilometers long and four kilometers wide, was established across the Korean peninsula at the end of the war. The inter-Korean border is heavily fortified. Tensions between the two countries have been rising significantly again for months.