South Korean soldiers fire warning shots at North Korean troops

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed their rivals' land border on Tuesday for the second time this month, the South Korean Army said. South Korean army.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said about 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers, while engaged in unspecified construction work on the northern side of the border, briefly crossed the military demarcation line that divides the countries at 8:30 a.m. The soldiers withdrew after the South broadcast warnings and fired warning shots, and the Southern army spotted no suspicious activity afterward.

The South also fired warning shots on June 11 after another group of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the MDL. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday's incident occurred in another area along the central front line. He added that he did not believe North Korean soldiers intentionally crossed the border and that the North did not retaliate.

South Korea's military said North Korea had stepped up construction activities in front-line border areas, including installing anti-tank barriers, reinforcing roads and laying landmines.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff also said they had recently observed several explosions suspected of being caused by mines in areas where North Korean soldiers were deployed for construction work, but that the activities continued despite a Undetermined number of injured or dead.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said they expected North Korea to expand its border-building activities, which they said could be aimed at making it more difficult for civilians or foreigners to escape. North Korean soldiers towards the South, as Pyongyang's leaders attempt to strengthen their control over its population.

The border intrusions come as tensions rise between the war-divided rivals, who have engaged in Cold War-style psychological warfare in recent weeks and made clear they are no longer bound by their military agreement history of 2018 aimed at reducing tensions.

The Koreas' heavily fortified border, called the demilitarized zone, has at times been the scene of bloodshed and violent clashes between the rivals. An estimated two million mines are scattered in and near the 248-kilometer (155-mile) border, which is also guarded by barbed wire, tank traps and combat troops on both sides. It is a legacy of the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, which ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.