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(2nd LD) Two Koreas' border guards exchange fire
SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Yonhap) -- Border guards of South and North Korea briefly exchanged fire Monday but there were no South Korean casualties, the office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The firefight took place at about 1:30 p.m. near Inje, 165 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on the eastern portion of the 248-kilometer Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas, a spokesman for the JCS said.
North Korean soldiers fired tens of gunshots, and South Korean soldiers immediately fired back 10 rounds, according to the spokesman.
It was not immediately known whether there were any North Korean casualties, he said.
"Our military returned warning shots and sent a broadcast (on loudspeakers), demanding the North stop shooting and apologize for the gunfire," the spokesman said, adding there were no response or "special movement" from the North Korean side after the clash.
South Korean officials were trying to confirm whether the firefight was accidental or intentional. The Korean border is among the world's most heavily fortified.
"We're going to ask the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission to investigate the case," the spokesman said.
It was the first land border skirmish since July 31 last year, when soldiers from both sides briefly exchanged fire in the DMZ. No casualties were reported at that time.
Monday's skirmish took place after the two Koreas ended their latest high-level military talks in late July without any progress toward easing cross-border tensions when they remained deadlocked over their disputed sea border.
South Korean delegates proposed measures to prevent armed conflicts near the western sea border, including the establishment of a joint fishing zone in the crab-rich waters in the area. But the North reiterated its demand for a new maritime border to replace the Northern Limit Line, which has been the de facto sea border since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The North refuses to recognize the line drawn unilaterally by the United Nations Command.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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