▲ North Korean soldiers reinforce barbed wire near the Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on Dec. 23, 2025, in this photo released by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

military-land border

Military updates land border rule in dealing with N. Korean incursions

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- The military has internally updated a rule in defining the inter-Korean land border when dealing with incursions by North Korean soldiers to prevent the risk of accidental clashes, officials said Monday.

The move comes as North Korean troops have repeatedly violated the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas since last year in the process of carrying out construction activities near the heavily fortified border.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it has ordered troops to prioritize markers that indicate the MDL when making decisions, while also "comprehensively" applying both the MDL on the South Korean military map and a line connecting the MDL markers set out by the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC).

The move effectively enables the military to use a line drawn farther southward in assessing whether North Korean troops' border crossings have occurred.

Under the updated guideline, even if North Korean troops cross the line connecting the MDL indicators, the South Korean military may not respond if it assesses it is not the MDL crossing in terms of its own military map.

Nearly 1,300 markers were installed in 1953, a month after the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, but only about one-sixth of them are identifiable. Maintenance efforts by the UNC have been suspended since the North fired at workers conducting the job in 1973.

The JCS issued the update in an official order distributed to subordinate units in September, spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said in a regular press briefing.

The JCS said the decision, which went into effect last year, is aimed at ensuring troops' firm response and preventing accidental clashes between the two Koreas in the event of a border crossing by North Korean soldiers.

Lee did not elaborate on why the official document was issued this year, after the order had already gone into effect last year.

Last month, Seoul's defense ministry proposed holding military talks with Pyongyang on how to clarify the MDL, which marked South Korea's first official proposal for talks with the North since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, with a pledge to mend frayed ties with the North and create conditions for dialogue.

The North has yet to respond to the proposal.

North Korean troops have violated the land border 16 times since March up until recently, with 10 cases reported in November alone.

The South Korean military has responded by broadcasting warning messages and subsequently firing warning shots.

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