North Korea has accused South Korea of conducting a “deliberate provocation aimed at military conflict” after Seoul confirmed its soldiers fired ten warning shots toward North Korean troops it claimed had crossed the demarcation line between the two countries on Tuesday.
Newsweek contacted the South Korean foreign ministry for comment on Saturday via email.
Why It Matters
North and South Korea, along with their respective allies, fought a devastating three-year war which began when North Korean troops invaded their southern neighbor in 1950. Though an armistice was signed in 1953 the two countries remain technically at war, and the U.S. still has around 28,500 military personnel stationed in South Korea.
What To Know
On Saturday, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement saying its troops fired warning shots toward North Korean troops which it alleged had crossed the military demarcation line which separates the two rivals on Tuesday at around 3 p.m. local time.
South Korean authorities said the North Korean troops crossed the line in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separates the two rivals, which the BBC reports is “not fenced” with signposts “obscured by dense vegetation in places.” They said the North Korean personnel later returned to their side of the border.
In a statement released by the state controlled KCNA news agency North Korean Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol said South Korean troops fired “more than 10 warning shots with 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun” at its troops who were “conducting a permanent barrier project near the southern border line.”
He said the North Korean military had informed the U.S. military, which it said “is exercising control” over South Korea, about the barrier project on June 25 and July 18 in a bid to avoid conflict.
As a result Ko Jong Chol said the incident, along with ongoing military drills by South Korea and the U.S., “cannot but be construed as a premeditated and deliberate provocation aimed at military conflict.”
The general said the incident proved “warmongers” in the U.S. and South Korea still want to “pursue military confrontation” with North Korea, and threatened “corresponding countermeasures” if there is a repeat.
An annual joint military drill is currently taking place between the U.S. and South Korean military, titled Ulchi Freedom Shield. The exercise, which began on August 18, was described as a “serious challenge” to peace by the North Korean government.
This week also saw North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decorate some of the “heroes” in his military who went to Russia to fight against Ukrainian forces earlier this year. Kim was pictured placing medals beside portraits of some of those killed in a “memorial wall,” which contained 101 portraits of dead soldiers according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
What People Are Saying
According to KCNA, North Korean Army Lt Gen Ko Jong Chol said: “This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area where a huge number of forces are stationing in confrontation with each other to the uncontrollable phase.”
He added: “If the act of restraining or obstructing the project unrelated to the military character persists, our army will regard it as deliberate military provocation and take corresponding countermeasure.”
What Happens Next
Despite the 1953 armistice, periodic border clashes have taken place between North and South Korean troops. It remains to be seen whether Tuesday’s incident will escalate further, though neither side appears to be seeking open conflict.
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