South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean troops briefly crossed the border for the second time this month.
About 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers were doing construction work in the area when they crossed the military demarcation line that is the border between the two countries, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, according to the Associated Press.
The soldiers retreated after South Korea broadcast a warning and fired warning shots.
A similar incident occurred last week when around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers, some carrying construction tools and others armed, accidentally crossed the border and South Korean troops fired warning shots. This incident occurred on June 11th.
The 250-kilometer-long “Demilitarized Zone,” or DMZ, is the most heavily armed border in the world, AP noted.
As with the previous incident, South Korea’s military admitted that the border area is dense with overgrown trees and soldiers may not have seen signs or known exactly where the border was. Reuters reported that they crossed about 65 feet into South Korea.
The two warning shot events follow provocations between the two countries.
North Korea was sending balloons filled with trash to the South. The balloons contained “dirt”, such as cigarette butts, waste paper and plastic bags.
In response, South Korea began playing Korean pop music over its loudspeakers and carrying out anti-Pyongyang propaganda, in what it promised would be an “unbearable” retaliation for the balloons.
The AP noted that North Korea’s construction began around April and could be aimed at making it more difficult for North Korean civilians to move south as tensions rise.
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