Considering everything going on lately with the North Koreans; I have to wonder if this crossing into South Korea was really inadvertant or not?:
About 20 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean land border earlier this week and went back to the North’s side after the South’s military fired warning shots, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.
The North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas in the central section of the border at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The South Korean military conducted warning broadcasts and fired warning shots, prompting the North Koreans to return to their side of the border, the JCS said, adding that there was no unusual activity after the warning shots.
JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said the military assesses the soldiers, who were working on an unspecified task inside the DMZ, did not intend to cross the MDL, considering that they returned immediately after the warning shots.
I can remember over 20 years ago when North Korea was sending propaganda leaflets into South Korea and it appears we are going back to those times:
South Korea’s military said Tuesday it is vetting objects assumed to be propaganda leaflets distributed by North Korea.
“The military is taking measures after unidentified objects assumed to be North Korean propaganda leaflets were found in border areas in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a notice sent to the press.
The JCS advised residents in the areas to refrain from accessing the objects and report to nearby military or police authorities in the event they discover such objects.
Earlier, North Korea warned of taking “tit-for-tat action” against the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets in border areas.
“Mounds of wastepaper and filth will soon be scattered over the border areas and the interior of the ROK and it will directly experience how much effort is required to remove them,” Kim Kang-il, the North’s vice defense minister, said in a statement released via state media, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name.
It is not like the ROK is going to invade North Korea so they are actually helping the ROK to defend itself:
A South Korean military official (R) shakes hands with his North Korean counterpart as they meet inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas to take part in a project to establish a cross-border road, in this file photo provided by Seoul’s defense ministry on Nov. 22, 2018. (Yonhap)
North Korea has installed land mines on an inter-Korean road within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, a South Korean military official said Monday, the latest in a series of moves to shut down cross-border roads.
The military detected the North laying mines on the unpaved road inside the DMZ late last year near Arrowhead Hill in Cheorwon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to the official.
The path was created under a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement to connect the South and the North for joint efforts to excavate remains of those killed near the hill during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Since late last year, the North has installed mines on all roads between the two Koreas once seen as symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation.
DMZ arboretum to reopen This photo, provided by the Korea National Arboretum, shows the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Native Plant Botanical Garden, the country’s northernmost arboretum, which will reopen on March 18, 2024. The arboretum, located 107 kilometers northeast of Seoul, was temporarily closed during winter for visitors’ safety. (Yonhap)
It will be interesting to see how long the Panmunjom tours are suspended due to the increased tensions after the ending of the Intra-Korean military pact:
A tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border has been suspended again as safety concerns increased due to North Korean soldiers armed with pistols in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the unification ministry said Thursday.
The government partially resumed the tour program on Nov. 22, after it had been halted since mid-July following US Army private Travis King crossing the border into North Korea.
But the ministry said it has recently decided to suspend the program again, as North Korea has begun rebuilding guard posts and bringing heavy firearms along the border after effectively scrapping a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction deal.
“As North Korean troops are carrying pistols in the Joint Security Area in the DMZ while South Korean soldiers remain unarmed there, we’ve decided not to run the Panmunjom tour for the time being,” a ministry official said.
Drill against N. Korean infiltration Soldiers from the Army’s 11th Infantry Division, based on the border with North Korea, conduct an anti-infiltration drill on Nov. 27, 2023, in this photo provided by the division. (Yonhap)
No surprise here, hopefully South Korea in response reimplaces all of their guard posts and fortifications that were removed during the Moon administration to better secure the DMZ:
North Korean soldiers are spotted near a guard post inside of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in this photo provided by the South Korean defense ministry on Nov. 27, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
North Korea has begun rebuilding guard posts and bringing heavy firearms along the border with South Korea after effectively scrapping a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction deal, the defense ministry said Monday.
Ministry officials disclosed photos showing North Korean troops installing temporary guard posts, carrying what appeared to be recoilless guns and standing guard at night inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
These moves came after the North said last week it would restore all military measures halted under the 2018 tension reduction deal. That decision came after South Korea suspended part of the agreement in protest of the North’s successful launch of a military spy satellite.
“Before destroying the GPs, there were observation posts and they are presumed to be rebuilding them. It was made of white wood and painted with a camouflage pattern,” a senior military official told reporters on background, referring to a guard post seen in a photo released by the defense ministry on Monday.
