North Korean soldiers cross border, forcing South Korea to open fire for the third time this month

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced on June 21 that many North Korean soldiers working in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the middle area of the border crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), according to AFP.

North Korean soldiers build at the border in this photo released by the South Korean Defense Ministry on June 18.

After the South Korean military broadcasted warning shots and fired warning shots, the North Korean soldiers retreated to the north. The incident occurred at around 11am on June 21 (local time).

This is the third incident this month, following similar incidents on June 9 and 18. The JCS said all three incidents appeared to be accidental.

The border crossings occurred as North Korea deployed more troops to the border since April to carry out a series of activities including building walls, reinforcing roads, laying mines and dismantling railways connecting the two sides.

South Korea says many North Korean soldiers were killed or injured in a landmine explosion near the border

Satellite images analyzed by Western media show that North Korea has cleared large areas of land near the DMZ and built long walls. The walls appear to be more than just obstacles to stop tanks, but are believed to be intended to divide the area.

A JCS official recently told Yonhap news agency that North Korea's activities appear to be measures to strengthen internal control such as preventing soldiers and civilians from defecting to South Korea.

A large number of North Korean soldiers work in the border area.

JCS said construction activities continued despite the mine explosion that killed and wounded many North Korean soldiers. Pyongyang has not commented on this information.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/binh-si-trieu-tien-vuot-gioi-tuyen-buoc-han-quoc-no-sung-lan-3-trong-thang-185240621104920972.htm