According to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, a group of approximately 20 North Korean soldiers crossed the land border into South Korea over the weekend, prompting the South Korean military to fire warning shots.
A spokesman for JCS confirmed that the northern troops made their way across the military demarcation line inside the DMZ that separates the two countries at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. This action occurred against the backdrop of escalated tensions between the two countries, stemming from the North’s launch of balloons carrying trash and excrement over the border into the South.
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According to Colonel Lee Sung-jun, the spokesperson for JCS, the soldiers who entered the DMZ did not intend to do so, as they promptly retreated to the north after the warning shots were fired. He further added that the thick foliage in the area can obscure the demarcation line, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
According to the agency, a JCS official who preferred to remain anonymous stated that the North Korean soldiers were equipped with pickaxes and other tools and could have possibly become disoriented and strayed into the DMZ.
Following the recent floating of over 1,000 trash balloons into the South, South Korea has resumed broadcasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda along the border through loudspeakers. This practice was revived as a part of Seoul’s retaliation strategy.
In response to activists in South Korea who have been using balloons to send propaganda leaflets criticizing Kim’s rule into North Korea, the North Korean government has announced that it has also started sending balloons.
