South Korean soldiers fire warning shots at North Korean forces

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the land border between the two rivals on Tuesday for the second time this month. South Korea The military said.

The South’s military has noticed an increase in North Korea’s construction activities along their heavily armed border to install anti-tank barriers, reinforce roads and plant landmines. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said work continued without interruption despite numerous explosions caused by mines that killed or injured an unspecified number of North Korean soldiers.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers, while engaged in unspecified construction work on the northern side of the border, briefly crossed the military demarcation line dividing the two countries as of 8:30 a.m. The Korean soldiers withdrew after the South broadcast warnings and fired warning shots, and the South Army did not detect any suspicious activity after that.

The south too Warning shots were fired on 11 June After another group of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday’s incident occurred in a different area along the central frontline area. She said she did not believe North Korean soldiers intentionally stormed the border and that the North did not return fire.

The South Korean military said the border area was full of trees and overgrown plants that may have obscured the view of North Korean soldiers and prompted them to cross the border.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it suspects North Korea will expand its border construction activities, which began around April, possibly aimed at making it more difficult for North Korean civilians or soldiers to cross the border. The fault is in the south While Pyongyang’s leadership is trying to consolidate its control over its people.

“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s military activities in the frontline area while warning against any incidental situations,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

The border intrusions come as tensions rise between the two rivals, divided in the war, who have been engaged in recent weeks Cold War-style psychological warfare They made clear that they were no longer bound by their historic military agreement in 2018 to reduce tensions.

The heavily fortified border between the two Koreas, referred to as the Demilitarized Zone, has at times been the site of bloodshed and violent confrontations between the two rivals. The military demarcation line marks the border between the two Koreas within the demilitarized zone, which is 248 kilometers (154 miles) long and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide. An estimated two million mines are scattered in the area, and it is also guarded by a barbed wire fence, tank traps, and combat forces from both sides. It is the legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.