MDL intrusions increase due to North Korea's resumption of DMZ operations... Joint Chiefs of Staff 'Response including warning shots'

Joint Chiefs of Staff "Identifies invasion while resuming North Korean DMZ work"... Warning shots, etc.

Military requests UNC to investigate violation of armistice agreement... UNC "monitoring activities in DMZ"

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Cheol-seon = It is known that the North Korean military has crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) more than 20 times in the past month.

According to military authorities on the 9th, the North Korean military reportedly crossed the MDL on the Eastern Front for the first time this year in the middle of last month, and has been frequently repeating the MDL around the Eastern Front.

According to the rules of engagement, our military will make a warning broadcast if there are signs of invasion, such as when North Korean troops approach the MDL, and if they invade the MDL, a warning shot will be fired and eviction will be taken.

The military is said to have fired warning shots in most recent cases of North Korean military incursions.

Last year, the number of MDL incursions by North Korean troops totaled 17 times, and in just one month this year, there were more violations than last year.

An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “Invasion activities were identified as work activities on unworked sections progressed this year,” and added, “It is assessed that the intrusion was not caused by changes in North Korean military activity or unusual activities.”

Since the declaration of 'two hostile countries', the North Korean military has been strengthening patrol activities in the MDL area by working on wastelands, installing barbed wire, and laying mines within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in order to transform the MDL into a border starting in 2024.

It is known that recent North Korean military incursions into the MDL are mainly concentrated on the eastern front.

It is said that several North Korean soldiers, presumed to be a patrol group, invaded the MDL in a certain section of the Eastern Front and then retreated when the South Korean side fired warning shots.

In response to the recent increase in MDL incursions by the North Korean military, the military is considering ways to strengthen its alert posture, such as installing surveillance equipment further north within the DMZ.

In addition, it is reported that the United Nations Command is requesting an investigation into violations of the armistice agreement regarding North Korean troops' MDL incursions, and are also discussing coordination of potential risk factors that could cause military conflict, such as discrepancies in the MDL baseline between North and South Korea.

The UNC said, "We are continuously monitoring activities within the DMZ in accordance with the Armistice Agreement and are cooperating closely with the Republic of Korea. We do not publicly comment on ongoing investigations or specific operations, but we are making efforts to comply with and implement the Armistice Agreement, reduce the risk of misjudgment, and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."