Dozens of North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border on Tuesday but retreated after warning shots were fired, according to Seoul.
This marks the second such incident in two weeks amid heightened tensions as Pyongyang reinforces its frontiers with the South.
Landmine explosions near the border injured several North Korean soldiers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported. North Korea has recently deployed troops to the area to clear scrub and lay additional mines as relations between the two Koreas worsen.
The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, making the countries technically still at war.
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the peninsula is one of the most heavily mined areas globally. North Korea is now reinforcing it with more landmines, tactical roads, and potential anti-tank barriers, according to Seoul’s military.
The JCS believes Tuesday’s crossing, like a similar incident on June 9, was accidental. Around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying work tools were involved in the incident, which occurred at 8:30 am Tuesday (2330 GMT). They retreated after warning shots were fired.
North Korean soldiers engaged in border reinforcement suffered multiple casualties from landmine explosions but appear to be pressing ahead with the operations, a JCS official stated. These activities are seen as measures to prevent defections to the South.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang later Tuesday has raised concerns in Seoul, which suspects North Korea of supplying arms to Moscow for use in Ukraine in exchange for assistance with its satellite program.
The increased mine-laying is seen as a clear signal from Pyongyang that it does not want dialogue with the South, according to Koh Yu-hwan, an emeritus professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University.
“By laying mines, North Korea is demonstrating once again that, as per the instructions of the supreme leader (Kim Jong Un), there will be no reconciliation with the South,” he added.
In 2018, during a period of warmer ties, the two Koreas removed landmines from a section of the border to ease military tensions. However, the recent incursion follows a previous incident earlier this month, where around 20 North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line in a wooded section of the border.
In response to various provocations, the South Korean government has suspended a 2018 tension-reducing military deal and restarted loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border, angering the North, which warned that Seoul was creating “a new crisis”.
