SEOUL, October 24. /TASS/. South Korea said that North Korean soldiers allegedly violated the inter-Korean border on October 19, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea.

It said two armed North Korean soldiers allegedly crossed the military demarcation line and approached 200 meters to the South Korean checkpoint. That day a North Korean soldier defected to the south of the Korean Peninsula, and it is assumed that these two could have been sent to look for him. The South Korean military broadcast a warning with the help of equipment after crossing the border, and fired warning shots. The North Korean soldiers returned home.

On October 19, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea reported a defector, but not a border crossing. Then South Korean officers were not sure if the cases were related, as the defector crossed the border at about 7:00 a.m. local time, while two soldiers allegedly violated the border at about 12:00 p.m. Yonhap believes that South Korea apparently decided not to release information not to increase tensions.

Another incident on October 19

On Thursday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reported another border crossing. On October 19, about 20 North Korean soldiers worked on the border, clearing land and laying mines. They allegedly briefly violated the border, which prompted the South Korean military to issue a warning. According to Yonhap, Seoul does not believe that this case is related to the defector, as the incidents occurred in different places and at different times.

Similar incidents during fortification work occurred before — on August 19, April 2025, and June 2024. As a rule, the South Korean military says the violations were unintentional.