Demilitarized Zone
South Korea fires warning shots over border crossing
21.06.2024, 05:40
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No border in the world is more closely guarded than the one between North and South Korea. The demarcation line runs down the middle of the four-kilometer-wide strip. North Korean soldiers are now crossing it – not for the first time.
The South Korean military says it fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the heavily fortified border. The North Korean soldiers then withdrew, the general staff in Seoul said. According to the report, the soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line the day before during unspecified construction work on the northern side of the border. This is the third border crossing by North Korean soldiers this month, Seoul said.
South Korea’s military has stated that it believes the two previous incidents were accidental. After all, the North Korean soldiers withdrew after firing warning shots. The North did not return fire. Since April, South Korea’s military has registered increased North Korean construction activities in the border area. In Seoul, it is suspected that the North Korean soldiers are installing tank barriers, paving roads and laying landmines.
The mined land border between the two Koreas is considered the most heavily guarded border in the world. It is the result of the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, which ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty. The demarcation line runs through the middle of a demilitarized zone about four kilometers wide, which is riddled with mines.
Relations between the two countries are currently at a low point. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday after a visit to Pyongyang that he would not rule out supplying weapons to North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that he would expand the development of weapons – including tactical nuclear weapons. In response, South Korea and the USA increased their defense cooperation.