South Korea fired warning shots on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the heavily fortified border in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. The incident occurred while North Korean troops were conducting construction work to permanently seal the frontier dividing the peninsula. According to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff, several North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line, which prompted South Korea's military to issue warning shots. The North Korean soldiers then retreated back north of the de facto border. No casualties or further confrontations were reported.
Pyongyang's state media accused South Korea of a "premeditated and deliberate provocation," reporting that the South Korean military used a machine gun to fire more than 10 warning shots toward the North's troops. Ko Jong Chol, vice chief of the North Korean People's Army General Staff, called the incident a "very serious prelude" that could escalate tensions to an uncontrollable level. He also mentioned that the South Korean warning shots coincided with the summertime joint military drills conducted by South Korea and the United States, accusing Seoul of deliberately trying to raise tensions.
Despite South Korea's new president Lee Jae Myung's efforts to foster warmer ties and build military trust with North Korea, Pyongyang has dismissed such intentions and expressed no interest in improving relations. North Korea has been reinforcing its border defenses by building anti-tank barriers and carrying out other construction work in the DMZ.
South Korea's military characterized its response as a routine defensive measure and noted that the North Korean troops returned to their territory without issue. The Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized that the warning shots were intended as a deterrent after the border violation, with no return fire from North Korea.
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