South Korea’s military fired on North Korean soldiers over a border violation for the second time in a fortnight, South Korean media reported.
The South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said:
About 20-30 North Korean soldiers with working tools crossed the military demarcation line in the demilitarised zone in the central part of the border.
Seoul’s military said it believed the latest border crossing – like the previous one earlier in June – was accidental.
North Korean soldiers also suffered numerous injuries while on the job due to mines exploding in the demilitarised zone, a JCS spokesman told the press.
The Korean War broke out between the north and south of the Korean Peninsula from 1950 to 1953. It began on June 25 1950, when North Korean troops entered South Korea after border clashes. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the US and its allies.
The fighting ended on July 27 1953 when the Armistice Agreement was signed. In accordance with it, the Korean Demilitarised Zone was established.
However, a peace treaty was never signed and the two Koreas are still technically still at war, involved in a frozen conflict.
Over the past month and a half, the DPRK has launched balloons filled with rubbish and manure into South Korean territory several times. On June 9, the South Korean Security Council convened an emergency meeting to discuss a response. The country’s authorities decided to resume broadcasting via loudspeakers at the border.
