By Sama Marwan,
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Tuesday that around ten North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line in the eastern part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas at approximately 5:00 p.m. local time.
According to the Joint Chiefs – as reported by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) – the soldiers returned to the northern side after the South Korean military fired warning shots and broadcast warning messages. The statement noted that appropriate measures were taken in line with operational procedures, while closely monitoring the movements of the North Korean army.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff official stated that the soldiers are suspected of crossing the line for reconnaissance purposes, as the area they crossed is not typically assigned to North Korean soldiers for reinforcing barbed-wire fences. He added that the Joint Chiefs are working to determine whether there were any other motives behind the soldiers’ crossing.
It is worth noting that some North Korean soldiers also crossed into the South in June 2024 while working near the Military Demarcation Line, but they returned to the North after the South Korean army issued warning messages and fired warning shots.
