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2mo ago

Seoul Confirms Brief North Korean Border Violations After Soldier’s Defection

Officials say standard warnings plus warning shots resolved the episodes without further movement.

FILE - Soldiers of South Korea and the U.S. stand guard during a commemorative ceremony for the 64th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas on July 27, 2017. The truce that stopped the bloodshed in the Korean War turns 70 years old on Thursday, July 27, 2023 and the two Koreas are marking the anniversary in starkly different ways, underscoring their deepening nuclear tensions. (Jung Yeon-Je/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Image
The Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas and a now-shuttered joint industrial complex are seen in North Korea's border city of Kaesong, in this photo taken from the South Korean border city of Paju, northwest of Seoul, on Oct. 15, 2025. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • Two armed North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the Military Demarcation Line on Oct. 19 and advanced about 200 meters toward a South Korean guard post before retreating after warning shots, according to military sources.
  • The pair were presumed to be searching for a North Korean soldier who had defected earlier that day through a central sector of the border, though the Joint Chiefs of Staff cited a gap of more than five hours in withholding immediate disclosure.
  • The JCS later said about 20 North Korean soldiers also crossed the line in Paju the same day and withdrew after warning broadcasts and warning shots, with the movement assessed as likely work-related such as land clearing or mine-laying.
  • South Korean officials said they detected no broader North Korean military activity following the defection and assessed the Paju incident and the defection as unrelated due to differing times and locations.
  • The Oct. 19 defector was identified as a North Korean soldier who crossed on foot in Cheorwon, marking the first known military defection under the Lee Jae Myung administration.