S. Korean soldier misfires machine gun toward inter-Korean border
This May 3, 2021, file photo, taken from the border city of Paju, shows the western front of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. Yonhap
A South Korean soldier stationed at a front-line unit near the inter-Korean border accidentally fired a machine gun toward North Korea earlier this week, prompting the military to air broadcasts to notify the North of the incident, the military said Thursday.
The soldier mistakenly fired a single round from the K6 heavy machine gun from a general outpost unit in Yangju, some 25 kilometers north of Seoul, at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the military.
"The respective unit immediately conducted a broadcast to the North to notify of the incident and no unusual movements by the North Korean military have been detected so far," Yang Seung-kwan, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told a regular press briefing.
Wednesday's incident occurred just about a month after a South Korean soldier accidentally fired a single round from the K6 from a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in Cheorwon County, about 70 kilometers north of the capital.
Yang, the JCS official, said the military has launched an investigation into the case and will review measures to prevent similar accidents.