SEOUL, South Korea and PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – Tensions between South and North Korea escalated on June 11, 2024, as both sides engaged in a series of border incidents. The latest developments came after over 1,000 trash-filled balloons were sent from the North to the South and in response, Seoul resumed anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The first incident occurred on Sunday when South Korean soldiers detected several North Korean soldiers carrying construction tools and some armed, who had briefly crossed into the southern side of the border. The South Korean military responded by firing warning shots and issuing broadcasts to deter further intrusion. The North Korean troops immediately retreated after receiving the warnings.
The second incident took place later that day when several North Korean soldiers carried out maintenance work near their side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which runs down the center of the DMZ. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that several North Korean soldiers had crossed into South Korean territory but did not specify how many or for how long.
The latest border incidents come amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas, with both sides engaging in psychological warfare through propaganda broadcasts and balloon launches. The trash-filled balloons sent from North Korea were a response to South Korean activists' launches of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border.
North Korea is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its political system, as most of its 26 million people have no official access to foreign news. The country has warned that it will take further action if South Korea continues with its loudspeaker broadcasts and refuses to stop civilian leafletting campaigns.
The DMZ, which is the world's most heavily armed border, is a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. An estimated 2 million mines are peppered inside and near the border, which is also guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides.
The latest developments in tensions between South and North Korea serve as a reminder of the ongoing animosity between the two countries. Despite efforts to engage in diplomacy, talks over North Korea's nuclear ambitions have remained stalled for years.
