SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has accused South Korea of "serious provocation" following an incident in which South Korean troops fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers who were reportedly setting up barriers along the border between the two nations. The accusation comes amid heightened tensions related to the annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises.
In a statement, Ko Jong Chol, the vice chief of the North Korean People's Army's General Staff, articulated that the warning shots fired by South Korea coincided with the military drills and accused Seoul of intentionally escalating tensions. On Tuesday afternoon, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that warning shots were indeed fired when North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line while engaged in unspecified construction activities in a central border area.
The South Korean military reported that the North Korean troops retreated back to their territory without further incident and clarified that there was no return fire from the North. Over recent months, South Korea has occasionally issued loudspeaker warnings and fired warning shots to deter North Korean soldiers who have crossed the military demarcation line. Such incidents have generally been perceived as accidental, occurring as North Korean forces engage in various construction efforts, including building anti-tank barriers and planting mines, to reinforce their defenses along the border region.
Ko elaborated that the North Korean soldiers were conducting a "barrier project" aimed at permanently blocking the southern border. This work is part of a larger initiative intended to "completely separate" the territories of North and South Korea. Ko indicated that North Korea had informed U.S. forces based in South Korea of its plans regarding the border infrastructure on June 25 and July 18, in a bid to prevent accidental confrontations.
As the official overseeing border management and security, Ko demanded that the South immediately cease what he characterized as a dangerous provocation. He asserted that South Korea was using their military response as a justification for escalating tensions surrounding the necessary fortification of their southern border, which he claimed was essential for defending North Korea's sovereignty.
Relations between the two Koreas are increasingly strained, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prominently showcasing the nation's military capabilities and fostering ties with Russia amid its ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In light of the growing coordination between South Korea and U.S. military exercises, Kim had previously renounced North Korea's long-standing goals of achieving peaceful unification with the South, declaring that the North would mark the South as a permanent adversary. This shift was formalized through amendments to North Korea's constitution.
Kim's regime has largely dismissed diplomatic overtures made by South Korea's newly elected liberal president, Lee Jae Myung. Last week, President Lee expressed intentions to revive a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at reducing tensions along the border. He urged Pyongyang to reciprocate these gestures by working towards rebuilding trust and resuming dialogue, but the North's response has so far been one of rejection.
