North VS South: Tensions Spike on Korean Peninsula as Warning Shots Fired Along DMZ
Subheadline: South Korean troops opened fire on Northern soldiers near the border while massive U.S.–ROK war games fuel Pyongyang’s fury.
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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula surged this week after South Korean troops fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers operating near the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ).
Seoul said its forces responded after Northern troops briefly crossed the border line. Pyongyang, however, blasted the move as a “serious provocation,” with Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol accusing the South of firing more than 10 rounds from heavy-caliber machine guns at soldiers engaged in what he described as “a permanent barrier project.”
“This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation… to the uncontrollable phase,” Ko warned, adding that the Korean People’s Army was closely monitoring developments.
War games and war words
The incident unfolded against the backdrop of massive U.S.–South Korea joint drills, branded Shield of Freedom. The 11-day exercise involves 21,000 troops, live-fire maneuvers across land, sea, and air, and simulated preemptive strikes under a war plan known as OPLAN 2022.
North Korea condemned the drills as “extremely provocative,” claiming they amount to a dress rehearsal for an attack on its nuclear facilities. In parallel, Pyongyang tested two new air-defense missile systems, a move widely seen as a show of defiance.
Annual U.S.–ROK exercises often trigger reciprocal military displays and fiery rhetoric from Pyongyang. But with warning shots fired across the DMZ and war games escalating, the latest standoff carries an added layer of danger.
President Donald Trump, who has long touted his personal rapport with Kim Jong Un, weighed in on Monday: “I have a very good relationship with Kim… I know him better than almost anybody other than his sister.”