South Korea revealed why its military fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers over the weekend.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff alleged that a group of North Korean soldiers crossed the militarized border on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
In response, South Korean soldiers fired warning shots in their direction.
The South Korean soldiers also issued warning broadcasts. The actions proved enough for the North Korean personnel to turn around and return home.
The incident may have been little more than a misunderstanding.
The North Koreans had been carrying construction tools, such as pickaxes, although some of them were armed with weapons.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that the northerners simply were lost — having missed border signs in the heavily wooded area of the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korean soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean troops briefly violated the tense border earlier this week, South Korea’s military said Tuesday. https://t.co/gShsakpW9j
— NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) June 11, 2024
South Korean media indicated that as many as 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers entered southern territory without authorization, according to the Associated Press.
Both countries exchanged balloons before the altercation — the North’s containing garbage, and the South’s containing leaflets criticizing the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un.
🇰🇵🇰🇷🚨‼️ North Korea again sent hundreds of garbage balloons to South Korea in response to balloons with propaganda leaflets sent by South Korean activists. pic.twitter.com/wuNtl5Nrch
— TabZ (@TabZLIVE) June 9, 2024
South Korea used loudspeakers on the border to broadcast recordings at the border as a response to the North’s balloon campaign.
🇰🇷🇰🇵🚨‼️ South Korea has announced its decision to resume the operation of loudspeakers on the border with North Korea as an “intolerable measure” in response to the resumption of sending garbage balloons from the North.
The presidential administration made this announcement,… https://t.co/am6EA4J9W5 pic.twitter.com/8rEhKDoClJ
— TabZ (@TabZLIVE) June 9, 2024
The border between the two countries is one of the most fortified regions on the Earth.
Mines are placed throughout the border’s buffer zone, with military personnel waiting on each side for the other to resume the conflict between the two countries, according to Politico.
Will war break out in Korea before the end of the year?
The status quo stems from the Korean War, which ended in an armistice, rather than a formal peace treaty.
North Korea is installing its own loudspeakers at the border to answer South Korea’s regular broadcasts, according to the AP.
