OMM Newsroom
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen after Pyongyang challenged Seoul’s account of a September mine incident, AnewZ reports. A North Korean artillery piece has been seen near the fortified border.
On Monday, a Reuters witness at an observation post in South Korea saw a North Korean artillery piece near the border. Yonhap identified the weapon as a 122 mm self-propelled howitzer and described its open display near the border as rare.
Reuters also saw three North Korean armored vehicles with their guns pointed south. Meanwhile, 20 to 30 North Korean troops were putting up a fence in the Demilitarized Zone.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in Seoul, said the visible military presence appeared intended to signal Pyongyang’s readiness to pursue its border policy through force rather than dialogue. He said the move could also serve as a warning to South Korea against actions that might heighten tensions or risk an accidental military clash.
Pyongyang rejects Seoul’s claims over mine incident
The artillery display came after North Korea sent a letter to the UN Security Council. In it, Pyongyang accused Seoul of fabricating details about a September mine incident in the Demilitarized Zone.
According to North Korean state media KCNA, Pyongyang claimed Seoul was using the incident to portray fortification work along the border as a military incursion. North Korea warned that any perceived violation of its sovereignty could prompt self-defense measures and said South Korea would bear responsibility for the consequences.
Pyongyang’s letter responded to an appeal Seoul sent to the UN Security Council last week. South Korea said an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 21 was linked to mines planted by North Korean troops and violated the Korean War armistice agreement.
The United Nations Command, which oversees the Demilitarized Zone, also said a North Korean mine had crossed the Military Demarcation Line and violated the armistice agreement. Pyongyang denied responsibility.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Monday that North Korea’s letter largely repeated its previous claims and was aimed at justifying its border-marking operations. Seoul has continued to call for dialogue to ease tensions along the border.
Pyongyang accuses South Korean forces of opening fire
North Korea also alleged that South Korean forces had fired at North Korean troops, calling the action a violation of the UN Charter. Seoul says its troops used warning broadcasts and warning shots when North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line.
In recent years, North Korean troops have built tactical roads and fences and laid mines along the border. Photos cited by Yonhap also showed North Korean forces conducting military exercises in Kaepung County, near the South Korean city of Gimpo.
The current tensions recall a 2015 confrontation in which South Korean soldiers were wounded by mines near the border. Seoul responded by resuming loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea from the Demilitarized Zone, leading to a military standoff. The crisis eased after Pyongyang expressed regret and the two Koreas reached a high-level agreement.
