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11/21/2024 10:28:32 pm

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Two Koreas Trade Gunfire In Latest Border Clash

North and South Korea

(Photo : Reuters / Lee Jae-Won) A North Korean flag is seen on top of a tower near the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North Korea from South Korea, about 55 km (34 miles) north of Seoul, September 25, 2013.

North and South Korea traded gunfire Sunday when North Korea's soldiers advanced toward the military border and refused to halt despite warning shots, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

The Sunday clash was the latest of recent encounters between the two Koreas, which are still at war with each other. It also comes on the heels of a high-level military meeting on Wednesday between the rival neighbors to explore their options for diffusing the tensions, First Post relayed.

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North Korea's troops responded to warning shots by firing back. The gunfire exchange went on for 10 minutes, but fortunately, the encounter did not escalate, according to a ministry official.

In addition, there were no reports of injuries or damage to property resulting from the encounter, the official stated.

On Saturday, North Korean soldiers approached the Military Demarcation Line that divides the North from the South. The official said they only turned back when the South released warning shots.

The two Koreas previously exchanged fire this month when a patrol boat from North Korea crossed a long disputed sea border. It happened in an area where previous confrontations have turned deadly.

On October 10, the rival neighbors fired machine guns after South Korean activists sent propaganda materials across the border using balloons. The said leaflets contained anti-Pyongyang sentiments, the report detailed.

Most of the members in the said activist group are defectors from North Korea. They promised to send more propaganda leaflets and one group said it will float another 50,000 balloon this Saturday, The Telegraph said.

North and South Korea are expected to send representatives to a high-rank discussion soon, the report added.

A heavily fortified land border separates the neighboring Koreas. The two nations have been technically at war since 1953, when a peace treaty aimed to end the Korean War turned into an armistice, BBC News reported.

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