New war is coming? A group of North Korean soldiers crossed the line, South Korean troops opened fire urgently
November 21st report, a group of North Korean soldiers working in the demilitarized zone suddenly crossed the military demarcation line, briefly entering the South Korean side, causing the South Korean military to issue an emergency broadcast warning and open fire as a warning.
The incident occurred in the early hours, with poor visibility. The South Korean side first discovered through monitoring that North Korean soldiers were approaching the demarcation line, and then confirmed that their steps had crossed the line.
The South Korean side said that after being warned, the North Korean soldiers quickly retreated, without causing further confrontation.
The South Korean military later explained that North Korea has been building obstacles, laying landmines, and destroying roads on one side of the military demarcation line for nearly a year, and these series of projects are very close to the demarcation line.
The soldiers who crossed the line were mostly carrying out related operations, but the demarcation line signs in mountainous areas are not clear, and the complex terrain makes the probability of accidental entry real. However, the South Korean side also admitted that crossing the line itself violates the armistice agreement, and even a deviation of several meters could be seen as an act of provocation during tense times.
The timing of the incident has also drawn particular attention from the outside world, because recently North Korea has continuously mentioned strengthening border security, while South Korea has been advancing new military deployments. The long-standing mutual distrust between the two sides means that this small-scale crossing, although seemingly accidental, could become a trigger for a chain reaction.
From a broader context, North Korea's activities near the military demarcation line have gradually increased, including anti-tank trenches, metal stakes, explosive barriers, and mine positions, almost turning the border area into a new fortification belt.
And after South Korea abolished part of the arms control agreements last year, it has resumed reconnaissance flights, redeployed firepower and engineering units. Both sides are trying to fill blind spots, while constantly approaching the red lines that may cause misjudgment by the other side.
In this situation, any crossing is no longer just a crossing, but touches the other side's nerves and reduces the space for negotiation and communication.
The long-term armistice rather than peace on the peninsula makes such friction more dangerous, because the two sides do not have a stable dialogue mechanism and can only rely on on-the-spot responses to maintain a fragile balance.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849458025414728/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.