North Korea on Saturday said the South Korean military fired warning shots in the border area between the two Koreas earlier this week, calling it an act of deliberate provocation, while Seoul said it fired as North Korean soldiers
briefly crossed the border.
According to North Korea’s state media KCNA, Pyongyang has observed that warning broadcasts from the South Korean military in the border region were increasing and warned of a “corresponding countermeasure”.
North Korea’s Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol pointed to Pyongyang’s work on building barriers in the heavily fortified border, saying it will respond to any obstruction to the project and “take no responsibility for the grave consequences” if advanced warning in the area is ignored in the future, as per KCNA.
What Did South Korea Say?
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that some North Korean soldiers working in the border region crossed the military demarcation line on Tuesday, prompting the military to fire warning shots.
“Some North Korean soldiers operating near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) within the central frontline DMZ crossed the MDL, prompting our military to fire warning shots,” said the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The North Korean soldiers then moved north of the MDL.”
North Korea’s aggressive message contradicts South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s announcement last week that his government will halt certain military activities near the border, as part of ongoing efforts to improve relations between the two countries, which remain technically at war.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has dismissed any US intent to resume diplomacy, stating the country will not be denied its position as a nuclear-armed state, according to reports. The statement comes as US President Donald Trump, in his second term, has expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang.
(with inputs from agencies)
