North Korea Claims South Fired at Border Soldiers
(MENAFN) North Korea accused South Korea on Saturday of firing at its soldiers along the border earlier this week, adding further criticism of Seoul’s ongoing joint military exercises with the United States.
In a statement published by North Korean media, North Korea's Vice Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol, claimed that South Korean forces fired over 10 warning shots using a 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun on Tuesday. The shots were allegedly aimed at North Korean soldiers working on a permanent barrier project near the southern border.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff responded, confirming the firing of warning shots after North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line, as reported by South Korean media.
"This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area, where a huge number of forces are stationed in confrontation with each other, to the uncontrollable phase," Ko stated.
Ko explained that prior notification about the construction was provided "to prevent misunderstanding and accidental conflict," adding that the North Korean military "is keeping tabs on the present situation."
He further emphasized that "The recent incident, timed to coincide with the large-scale joint military drills being staged in the region of the ROK (South Korea), cannot but be construed as a premeditated and deliberate provocation aimed at military conflict from A to Z," referring to the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills conducted by South Korea and the U.S., which began on Monday.
Ko "strongly demanded" the immediate halt of such "dangerous provocation."
He warned, "If the act of restraining or obstructing the project unrelated to the military character persists, our army will regard it as deliberate military provocation and take corresponding countermeasures."
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