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Koreas exchange fire

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: South Korea on Tuesday announced that a brief exchange of fire had taken place across the highly fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul, the incident on Monday night was triggered by the firing of an estimated three bullets by North Korean soldiers at a South Korean border post across the DMZ. The fire was returned, and there were no casualties on the South Korean side. Pyongyang made no comment. Such incidents are relatively rare, the last reported exchange of machinegun fire having taken place nearly three years ago. The incident acquires importance in the context of new tensions as a result of Pyongyang's missile test-flights on July 5.

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