It was found that North Korean troops intruded south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) 10 times last month alone.

A North Korean guard post seen from the border area of Paju, Gyeonggi Province. /Courtesy of News1

According to materials the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) submitted to Rep. Kang Dae-sik's office on the 19th, North Korean troops have crossed the MDL a total of 16 times from March this year to the present, with many of those cases concentrated last month.

From the 4th to the 23rd of last month, incursions occurred roughly every other day. By area, Goseong, Gangwon, had the most with six, followed by Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi, with three, and Hwacheon, Gangwon, with one. Lee Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said at a briefing that day, "Since November, North Korean troops have been carrying out barren land work in the Goseong area of Gangwon Province, and because a specific section of the MDL in Goseong juts upward in a pointed shape, intrusion cases by North Korean troops have been occurring."

Our military responded to the intrusions by North Korean troops with warning broadcasts and warning shots, and in all cases the North Korean troops withdrew, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. It added that in four cases where the response was made with broadcasts only, without warning shots, the North Korean troops withdrew immediately after the broadcasts.

Meanwhile, Lee Kyung-ho, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, drew a line against some reports that "instructions were given to refrain from firing even if North Korean troops provoke," saying, "That is not true." Lee said, "We are responding according to the current principles, and there has been no change to operational procedures."

Since early last year, North Korean troops have been increasing MDL intrusion cases by expanding work such as installing fences and laying mines within the DMZ. The Ministry of National Defense proposed military talks on the 17th of last month to set a baseline for the MDL, but North Korea has not responded to date, and it is assessed to have crossed the MDL four more times even after the proposal.

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