Seoul fires warning shots as North Korean soldiers cross border again

North Korean soldiers cross border, face landmine explosions, as Pyongyang reinforces frontier with South amid escalating tensions.

Dozens of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border on June 18 but retreated after warning shots were fired, Seoul said, the second such incident in two weeks as Pyongyang reinforces its frontiers with the South.

Landmine explosions near the border also injured multiple North Korean soldiers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that Pyongyang had recently deployed troops in the area to clear scrub and lay mines, as relations between the two Koreas plummet.

The countries technically remain at war as the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, and the Demilitarized Zone dividing the peninsula is already one of the most heavily mined places on earth.

But North Korea is moving to reinforce that, laying more landmines, reinforcing tactical roads and adding what appear to be anti-tank barriers, Seoul’s military said.

The JCS said it believed the Tuesday crossing -- like a previous one on June 9 -- was accidental, with some 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying work tools involved in the incident, which took place around 8:30 am Tuesday (2330 GMT).

“Dozens of North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line today... (and) retreated northwards after warning shots” were fired, a JCS official said.

North Korean soldiers tasked with reinforcing the border had suffered “multiple casualties from repeated landmine explosion incidents” but they “appear to be recklessly pressing ahead with the operations,” the official said.