There has been a heated gun battle between North and South Korean troops along their tense DMZ border on Sunday.
According to a joint statement from South’s Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, North Korean soldiers started the shooting spree after firing several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the heavily fortified border zone between the two countries.
In response, in other to protect their territory and sovereignty, South Korea fired 20 rounds of warning shots on two occasions before issuing a warning broadcast, the statement said.
Sunday’s incident is a reminder of persistent tensions between the two countries, it didn’t cause any known casualties on either side and is unlikely to escalate, observers say.
Few hours later, South Korea sent a message to North Korea to try to avoid an escalation, but the North hasn’t immediately replied, according to South Korea’s military.
“We are taking actions via inter-Korean communication lines to grasp the detailed situation and to prevent any further incidents. And we also maintain a necessary readiness posture,” it said.
The last time there was gunfire along the border was in 2017, when North Korea sprayed bullets at a soldier fleeing to South Korea.
The gun battle comes a day after North Korea released footage of leader Kim Jong Un reappearing in public after a 20-day absence amid intense speculation about his health.
