South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korea troops crossed the border and then withdrew, marking the third such occurrence this month on the heavily fortified peninsula. A group of North Koreans working within the Demilitarized Zone, which acts as a buffer between the two countries, entered South Korea’s territory.
Following verbal warnings, they retreated, prompting the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff to fire warning shots, as reported in a statement.
The incident occurred just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his first visit to North Korea in 24 years. During the visit, he and Kim Jong Un finalized a significant agreement in which both nations pledged mutual assistance in the event of an attack.
According to the South Korean military, tensions along the border dividing the peninsula were escalating even before Putin’s visit. In recent months, North Korea has been deploying a significant number of troops to the buffer zone for activities like planting mines, constructing anti-tank barriers, and repairing roads.
North Korea sent trash-filled balloons over the border last month, protesting South Korea’s surveillance flights. In retaliation, South Korea suspended a 2018 agreement meant to ease military tensions.
Kim Yo Jong suggested North Korea might send more trash balloons across the border following South Korean activists’ release of propaganda leaflets. For over a decade, millions of these leaflets, criticizing North Korea’s leadership, have been sent by activists and defectors.
“Disgusting North Korean trash defectors didn’t hide that they sent leaflets across our border,” she said in a statement. “They did something they were not told to, so it is only natural they will be faced with work they need not do.”
The Koreas station large military forces near the border, increasing the risk of escalation. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), with visible razor-wire fencing, separates the countries, while the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) is less visible, marked by spaced signs.