Login to Continue Learning
North Korea has accused South Korea of conducting a “deliberate provocation aimed at military conflict” after Seoul confirmed its soldiers fired ten warning shots towards North Korean troops that it claimed had crossed the demarcation line between the two countries on Tuesday.
On Saturday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement saying their troops had fired warning shots toward North Korean soldiers who they alleged had crossed into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near the southern border. The DMZ is not fenced and signposts are obscured by dense vegetation in some areas, according to reports.
In response, North Korea’s state-controlled KCNA news agency stated that South Korean troops fired “more than 10 warning shots with a 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun” at its personnel who were conducting a permanent barrier project near the southern border line. Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol of the North Korean Army said his side had informed the U.S. military about the barrier project on June 25 and July 18 to avoid conflict.
Ko Jong Chol said South Korea’s actions, along with ongoing joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, “cannot but be construed as a premeditated and deliberate provocation aimed at military conflict.” He threatened corresponding countermeasures if there were any further incidents.
An annual joint military drill called Ulchi Freedom Shield is currently taking place between the U.S. and South Korean forces. The North Korean government described it as a “serious challenge” to peace.
This week also saw North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decorate some of the soldiers who had gone to fight in Russia earlier this year, placing medals beside portraits on a memorial wall containing 101 dead soldiers, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Despite the 1953 armistice, periodic border clashes have occurred between North and South Korean troops. It remains to be seen whether Tuesday’s incident will escalate further, though neither side seems to be seeking open conflict.
