Across the western part of the Demilitarized Zone, the Kaesong Industrial Complex is seen from a border area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this photo taken on Oct. 15. (Yonhap)
Across the western part of the Demilitarized Zone, the Kaesong Industrial Complex is seen from a border area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this photo taken on Oct. 15. (Yonhap)

Two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean border last week, apparently in pursuit of a fellow soldier who had defected to the South earlier that day, a South Korean military source said Friday.

The incident took place on Oct. 19, when the armed soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line in the central section of the border and advanced about 200 meters toward a South Korean guard post, said the source, requesting anonymity. South Korean troops responded with warning broadcasts and fired warning shots, prompting the two North Koreans to retreat.

The North Korean soldier they were pursuing had defected earlier that day by crossing the same section of the border. No injuries were reported in the incident.

At the time, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected “no unusual movements” by the North’s military following the defection. An official later explained they decided not to make the intrusion public, citing uncertainty over whether the crossing was directly linked to the defection — noting a time gap of more than five hours between the two events.

But observers suggested that the decision may have reflected Seoul’s intent to avoid raising tensions with Pyongyang ahead of the upcoming Oct. 31-Nov. 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju.


mkjung@heraldcorp.com