DPRK soldiers crossed the border with South Korea

The DPRK military on Wednesday crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) dividing the Korean peninsula within the demilitarized zone — the de facto border between North and South, Yonhap news agency reports, citing the South Korean military.

The DPRK and South Korea are separated by the demilitarized zone (DMZ) — A four-kilometer buffer zone with fortifications on both sides of the border. Since April 2024, the DPRK has installed anti-tank structures and mines along the demilitarized zone and has blown up roads and railways connecting the two Koreas.

"According to the military's information from November 20, a day ago several North Korean military personnel, allegedly carrying out work in the demilitarized zone, violated the demarcation line by crossing into our state territory," Yonhap said in a statement.

As noted in the message, the South Korean military launched a warning broadcast and fired several warning shots, after which the North Koreans returned to their side of the border.

"The North Korean military in the demilitarized zone took actions threatening the armistice agreement, so we acted according to the established procedure," Yonhap quoted the statement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea (JCS).

The Korean peninsula is still formally in a state of war, since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with the signing of an armistice, not a peace treaty. It was concluded by the commanders of the DPRK troops and China on the one hand, and the United States under the UN flag on the other.