Around 20 North Korean soldiers briefly cross MDL, retreat after warning shots

The Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas and a now-shuttered joint industrial complex are seen in North Korea's border city of Gaeseong, in this photo taken from the South Korean border city of Paju, northwest of Seoul, Oct. 15. Yonhap

Around 20 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border and retreated after South Korean soldiers fired warning shots earlier this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday.

The soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the border city of Paju, northwest of Seoul, on Oct. 19, according to the JCS.

South Korean troops monitoring their movement issued several warning broadcasts and fired warning shots when the soldiers continued to move southward, it said. The North Korean soldiers then retreated without showing any particular response.

The JCS said the soldiers, believed to be doing work near the border such as clearing land or laying mines in the buffer zone, likely crossed the border temporarily while working. Some of them were armed.

The incident took place on the same day a North Korean soldier defected across the border in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, the first such case since the Lee Jae Myung government took office.

Military officials, however, said the two incidents appear to be unrelated given the difference in their time and location.

"Our military is closely monitoring the activities of the North Korean military and taking necessary measures in accordance with operational procedures," a military official said.