North and South Korean troops exchange fire along border
Source: AP
By HYUNG-JIN KIM
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North and South Korean troops exchanged fire along their tense border on Sunday, the Souths military said, the first such incident since the rivals took unprecedented steps to lower front-line animosities in late 2018.
Violent confrontations have occasionally occurred along the border, the worlds most heavily fortified. While Sundays incident is a reminder of persistent tensions, it didnt cause any known casualties on either side and is unlikely to escalate, observers said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said in a statement that North Korean troops fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the border zone. South Korea responded with a total of 20 rounds of warning shots on two occasions before issuing a warning broadcast, it said.
South Korea suffered no casualties, the military said. Defense officials said its also unlikely that North Korea had any casualties, since the South Korean warning shots were fired at uninhibited North Korean territory. The Norths official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, did not immediately report about the incident.
Army soldiers walk up the stairs of their military guard post in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Sunday, May 3, 2020. North and South Korean troops exchanged fire along their tense border on Sunday, the South's military said, blaming North Korean soldiers for targeting a guard post. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Read more: https://apnews.com/71f8c14cb8d0d445a353ca699302af5c
nycbos
(6,035 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,347 posts)Visibility was poor due to a thick fog and the shots were fired at the time of a guard change across the border which is when they check their weapons. So, although it was a clear violation of the agreement, chances are it was unintentional. They would have done it in better weather conditions if it had been intentional. Also, North Korean farmers were working their land looking unruffled before and after the shooting.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/03/shots-fired-from-north-korea-at-guard-post-across-border-in-dmz-says-south
Grokenstein
(5,727 posts)...we got a bunch of fat white guys with penis substitutes who claim they're itchin' for a battle.
dware
(12,423 posts)They would drop their weapons and run away crying at the first shot.
Grokenstein
(5,727 posts)You know, so real soldiers can do their job.
dware
(12,423 posts)hard at these wanna be's that they'll forget all about shooting at each other.
byronius
(7,398 posts)This is sad.
soryang
(3,299 posts)...in central Gangwon-do. The South Korean JCS released a statement saying the initial firing from the northern side was unintentional.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,362 posts)(thks to Pink Floyd)
Guard duty was the absolute dullest thing I did in the Army. Lonely, mind-numbing boredom. Hey, betcha a beer I can hit the third brick on the left in that guard tower ...