South Korea’s military took action by firing warning shots when soldiers from North Korea briefly crossed the border at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two countries.
According to the Yonhap news agency, the incident occurred around 12:30 pm (03:30 GMT) on Sunday, with a group of North Korean soldiers crossing the Military Demarcation Line within the DMZ.
Upon crossing, South Korean soldiers issued warnings and fired shots into the air, prompting the North Korean soldiers to retreat to their side of the heavily fortified border.
This incident comes amidst escalating tensions between the Koreas, with North Korea sending over 1,000 balloons filled with trash across the border, and South Korea resuming propaganda broadcasts that had ceased in 2018.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, expressed concerns that the broadcasts could lead to a “crisis of confrontation.”
North Korea is particularly sensitive to South Korea’s loudspeaker broadcasts as they fear it could impact the morale of their troops and residents, potentially weakening Kim Jong Un’s authority, analysts suggest.
Following Sunday’s warning shots, the JCS reported no unusual activity as both sets of soldiers returned to their respective sides of the border.
Post from www.aljazeera.com