The North Korean military has breached the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the communist nation from South Korea several times this month.
North Korean soldiers were spotted in the DMZ on Tuesday morning, apparently working on a project in the restricted area.
South Korean military officials published photos around 8:30 a.m. of the incursion by North Korean troops, who the Joint Chiefs of Staff said were carrying implements.
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South Korean soldiers fired warning shots to scare the North Koreans, who dispersed and reentered their own borders.
About 20 to 30 North Koreans are believed to have entered the DMZ during the incident.
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A similar incursion into the DMZ was reported earlier this month, when a large group of North Korean soldiers entered the restricted area on June 9.
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The June 9 incident prompted a similar protest from South Korean guards, who broadcast warning messages and fired warning shots until the invaders fled the area.
The interactions have increased tensions between the two Koreas just as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to host Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
Putin will visit Pyongyang for two days starting Tuesday as he makes his first official state visit to the communist nation in 24 years.
Russia has kept the much smaller and economically vulnerable North Korea as an ally, while Western powers imposed tough sanctions against its invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea has served as a valuable intermediary for Russia and China in recent years by conducting business and manufacturing activities outside the purview of international law.
Original article source: Dozens of North Korean soldiers repeatedly cross the exclusion zone with South Korea ahead of Putin’s visit
