The South Korean military fired warning shots yesterday after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean border, in what was the third incident of the month.
“Several North Korean soldiers working inside the DMZ on the central front line crossed the military demarcation line. After sound broadcasts and warning shots from our military, the North Korean soldiers retreated northward,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Command adding that the accident occurred around 11 am local time (4 am in Italy).
A command official, quoted anonymously by Yonhap, said the incident appeared to be accidental in nature, adding that the soldiers soon resumed their work and even continued their activities late into the night immediately after returning to their their borders. This is the third such violation by the North in June, following similar incidents involving a group of 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers in other areas of the central section of the border on June 9 and 18, respectively.
Even in previous cases, the Command said they appeared unintentional. The border violations came as North Korea has deployed large numbers of troops to front-line areas since April to conduct a variety of enforcement activities, such as laying minefields, erecting walls believed to be anti-tank barriers and reinforcing roads. to facilitate the movement of troops.
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