North Korea accuses South Korea of ‘deliberate provocation’ for firing warning shots at troops crossing border

South Korea has confirmed that it fired more than 10 warning shots at North Korean soldiers at the border between the two countries.

Earlier this week, North Korea had accused the South Korean military of firing at their soldiers in what they called a “deliberate provocation”. The country accused Seoul of risking “uncontrollable tensions” and “inciting military conflict”.

The shots were fired when the North Korean soldiers were conducting a border reinforcement project in a project which aims to permanently seal its border with the southern neighbour.

The firing took place in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), a strip of land that lies between the two countries, separating them.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line between the two countries on Tuesday. "Measures, such as warning shots, were taken after North Korean soldiers violated the MDL in a central front-line area at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, and they retreated," he said

According to South Korean media, the military had first broadcast a warning message before it fired at the North Korean troops.

After the shots, the soldiers had returned to the North Korean territory without further incident. No casualties were reported.

Ko Jong-chol, North Korean Army Lt Gen, said that the south’s military used a machine gun to fire more than 10 shots. He also noted that the shots coincided with the Summertime US-South Korean military drills.

The state media reported him saying, "This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area where a huge number of forces are stationed in confrontation with each other to the uncontrollable phase.”

South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, had called for warmer ties with the North and had pledged to build military trust. But Pyongyang dismissed such ideas.

Following Lee’s election, Seoul said the two sides had halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, and it later detected North Korean troops dismantling loudspeakers at the border.

In early April, a border clash occurred when South Korean troops fired warning shots after 10 North Korean soldiers crossed the frontier.