South Korean military fire at North Korean soldiers ‘crossing demarcation line’
South Korea’s military has said its soldiers fired warning shots at North Korean troops after they crossed the demarcation line dividing the two countries.
According to South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, 10 North Korean soldiers violated the military line at around 5pm local time on Tuesday.
The soldiers then returned to their home country after South Korea fired a volley of warning shots, alongside a broadcasts, South Korea’s military confirmed.
It’s an incident that’s been branded a “serious provocation” by Seoul, with the military remaining on heightened alert following the incident.
Although not an isolated incident, the intrusion by North Korean soldiers comes amid heightened political tensions with South Korea.
The line, designed to act as a buffer zone between the countries, is monitored by armed soldiers at all times.
The incident comes amid a spike in tensions in the region, with North Korea undertaking a series of weapons tests in recent months.
It comes just days after impeachment proceedings against South Korea’s leader.
South Korea’s constitutional court unanimously voted to uphold the impeachment of president Yoon Suk Yeol last week.
This latest incident follows requests by Donald Trump to reopen talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un – suggestions that have led South Korea to accuse Washington of intensifying hostile policies.
The incident had initially led to speculation that the troops had attempted to defect from North Korea.
It’s not the first time North Korean soldiers have crossed the demilitarised zone, with soldiers crossing into the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) in June.
South Korea confirmed North Korean troops had crossed into the zone ahead of a rare state visit to Pyongyang by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year.
At the time, South Korea said it believes the soldiers may have accidentally crossed the border during fortification efforts – the second such incident in a week.
LBC