▲ This photo, provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on June 18, 2024, shows North Korean soldiers erecting a wall near the border area. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This June 7, 2024, file photo taken from South Korea's Gyeonggi Province shows a North Korean guard post within the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) NK soldiers-border incursion

(LEAD) N. Korean soldiers briefly cross border for 2nd time in less than 2 weeks

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 3, 6-7, photo)

SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korean soldiers working in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas briefly crossed into the South again Tuesday before returning to their side after the South fired warning shots, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

It marked the North's second border violation in less than two weeks after a similar incident on June 9.

The JCS said around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying work tools crossed the Military Demarcation Line within the DMZ in the central section of the border at around 8:30 a.m., according to the JCS.

The South Korean military conducted warning broadcasts and fired warning shots, prompting the North Korean soldiers to return to their side of the border, the JCS said, adding that there was no unusual activity after the warning shots.

A JCS official said the incident appears to be accidental.

The border violation came as North Korea has been deploying hundreds of troops in front-line areas since April to conduct an array of activities, such as planting mines, erecting walls and building roads for military operations.

"These activities appear to be measures to strengthen internal control of the North Korean military and residents and fend off their attempts to cross the border," the JCS said.

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