South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday that warning shots had been fired as North Korean troops violated the military demarcation line between the two countries. Yonhap news agency previously reported that the warning shots were fired last week, citing unnamed sources.
"Recently, at the Eastern Front, North Korean forces crossed the military demarcation line, which prompted our military to fire warning shots in accordance with operational procedures," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff added that South Korean military was monitoring North Korean movements carefully while maintaining strong defensive readiness.
Yonhap reported that the incident was the first reported North Korean violation of the military demarcation line this year, and that the soldiers were likely on patrol in the area when they crossed the line. North Korean forces breached the demarcation line 17 times last year, according to Yonhap.
Technically, the two Koreas remain in a state of war after the 1950-1953 war ended with a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.
