The South Korean military reported a guard post was hit by multiple bullets fired from the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone on Sunday morning.
The gunshots fired by North Korean troops toward the central border town of Cheorwon prompted South Korea to issue a warning and shoot back twice, according to the Yonhap News Agency. There were no reports of casualties or damage to South Korean facilities.
“We are taking actions via inter-Korean communication lines to grasp the detailed situation and to prevent any further incidents. And we also maintain a necessary readiness posture,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The news comes a little more than a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days amid rumors that he was in failing health or had died.
President Trump, who has met with Kim, said on Saturday he was “glad” to see Kim back in action.
I, for one, am glad to see he is back, and well! https://t.co/mIWVeRMnOJ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2020
Gunfire across the DMZ, which was drawn after the 1953 armistice of the Korean War, is rare but not unheard of.
In November 2017, North Korea violated the armistice by firing across the demarcation line at a fleeing North Korean soldier. The soldier first tried to escape in a jeep but had to abandon the vehicle after getting stuck in a ditch. While running, he was shot by his fellow soldiers at least five times before being rescued by South Korean troops. He was stabilized at a South Korean hospital and survived.
