S. Korea fires warning shots after North Korean soldiers cross demarcation line

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Sunday that warning shots had been discharged following a breach of the military demarcation line between North and South Korea by North Korean soldiers. The Yonhap news agency cited an unnamed source earlier in the week, reporting that warning shots were fired last week. According to a JCS statement, the incident occurred recently on the Eastern Front, and our military fired warning shots in accordance with established procedures.

The JCS did not specify the date of the incident but emphasized their ongoing close monitoring of North Korean movements and their continued firm military readiness posture. Yonhap reported that this was the first reported violation of the military demarcation line by North Korea this year, with the soldiers likely to have been patrolling the area at the time of the crossing.

The North Korean embassy in Singapore did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment. North Korean troops had breached the line 17 times last year, Yonhap reported. The two Koreas are technically in a state of war, as their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.