South Korean troops fired warning shots at the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday after 10 North Korean soldiers — some carrying weapons — were spotted crossing the border.
Seoul was on high alert after the Pyongyang soldiers were caught violating the DMZ border line at around 5 p.m. local time, the first known intrusion in nearly a year.
The North Korean soldiers, outfitted with guns and bulletproof vests, returned to the northern side of the border after the warning shots rang out, Seoul said.
South Korea’s military is monitoring the situation at the DMZ, noting that the retreating North Korean soldiers didn’t return fire.
Violent confrontations and bloodshed have previously broken out at the heavily fortified border, with the last known confrontation occurring last June when Pyongyang troops crossed past the DMZ line three times.
It remains unclear what the motive was behind Tuesday’s crossing, but observers claimed the Pyongyang troops might have mistakenly crossed the boundary while fortifying their side with anti-tank barriers or mines.
North Korea had resumed their frontline work reinforcing the barrier last Month, according to the South Korean military.
Pyongyang had repeatedly defended the fortification as a need to bolster its defenses against “confrontational hysteria” from South Korea and the US.
The 155-mile DMZ stands as one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders, with an estimated 2 million mines scattered inside and all around the boundary.
The DMZ is also guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat-ready troops on both sides of the border.
It has stood since the end of the Korean War, which concluded with not a peace treaty, but an armistice.
Tensions remain heated between the two Koreas, with Seoul warning in recent months that Pyongyang has revamped their military development with the help of Moscow following leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mutual defense pledge last year.
The partnership has sparked fears in South Korea and the US that Russia could help Kim build up North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
With Post wires