SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line near the border on Tuesday, according to the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
About 20 to 30 soldiers broke through the line 20 meters (65 feet) inside the demilitarized zone on Tuesday morning and briefly returned north after warning shots were fired from the South, according to a JCS official.
The JCS does not believe the breach was intentional, Yonhap news agency reported.
North Korean soldiers also suffered multiple casualties while working due to landmine explosions in the DMZ, the JCS official told reporters.
North Korea’s military has been conducting various activities along the frontline, including deploying soldiers and laying landmines, the JCS official added.
Such activities appeared to be part of efforts to strengthen border control and prevent North Koreans from defecting to the South, the official said.
“The South Korean military… is closely monitoring the activities of the North Korean military in the frontline area, as well as working closely with the United Nations Command,” the official was quoted as saying in a statement.
The incident occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to visit North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time in 24 years, according to both countries.
Last week, the South Korean military fired warning shots after about 20 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border, Seoul officials said.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Michael Perry)
