North Korean troops are said to have crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) more than 20 times in the past month. That surpasses the total number of MDL incursions by North Korean troops for all of last year in just one month. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the incursions were not intended to heighten military tensions.
According to the military on the 9th, North Korean troops crossed the MDL on the eastern front for the first time this year around mid-last month. Since then, they have repeatedly crossed the line mainly in this area. North Korean troops made a total of 17 MDL incursions last year, but the number in the past month is said to have surpassed that.
When several North Korean soldiers, believed to be a patrol, cross the MDL in a specific section, the South Korean military fires warning shots and they retreat north, and this has been repeating. The military said our forces issue warning broadcasts if North Korean troops approach the MDL and show signs of an incursion, and if they actually cross the MDL, they are expelled through warning shots. The military is said to have fired warning shots in most of the recent MDL incursions by North Korean troops.
The military authorities cited expanded work around the MDL as the reason for the recent frequent crossings by North Korean troops. After Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean relations as "two hostile states" at the end of 2023, North Korea has carried out work in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) since 2024, including installing fences, planting mines, and creating barren zones.
An official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, "As work has proceeded this year in previously unworked sections, incursion activities have been identified," and added, "We assess that the incursions are not due to changes in the activities of North Korean troops or any unusual activities." The point is that the crossings are not intended to deliberately heighten military tensions.
The military stressed that as North Korean MDL incursions increase, frontline surveillance posture is also being strengthened. While reviewing ways to reinforce surveillance equipment within the DMZ, it has reportedly asked the United Nations Command (UNC) to investigate whether North Korea's MDL incursions constitute a violation of the armistice.