Another Potential Crisis?

S.Korea fires 40 warning shots near DMZ

By KWANG-TAE KIM
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean troops fired warning shots Saturday after five North Korean soldiers crossed a boundary in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two countries, South Korean military officials said.

The incident occurred shortly before noon near a stream in the largely deserted no man's land, and came amid tensions over North Korea's recent announcement that it plans to test its first nuclear bomb.

It was unclear whether the North Korean advance was intended as a provocation, an official at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on condition of anonymity, citing official policy.

"It's not clear whether it was intentional or whether it was to catch fish," he said, adding that four of the North Korean soldiers were unarmed, while one was carrying a rifle.

They advanced about 30 yards past the Military Demarcation Line separating the two armies before retreating to their own side after South Korean forces fired about 40 warning shots, the official said.

The South Korean side also broadcast warning announcements from speakers positioned along the DMZ, telling any advancing North Korean troops to turn back.

There were no injuries, the official said.

Original article posted here.