The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) says some ten North Korean soldiers violated the military demarcation line(MDL) in the eastern part of the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) at around 5 p.m. Tuesday. 

The JCS said the soldiers returned to the North after South Korea’s military issued cautionary broadcasts and fired warning shots.

The JCS said it is taking necessary steps in line with operational procedures while closely monitoring the movements of the North’s military. 

A JCS official said the soldiers are suspected of violating the demarcation line for reconnaissance purposes given that the spot where they crossed over is not among the areas where the North’s military has been assigning troops to reinforce iron fences. 

The official said the JCS is trying to determine whether the soldiers had other motives behind crossing over the line. 

The North has been deploying up to hundreds of soldiers to the northern parts of the MDL for such reinforcement effort since last month. 

Last June, some North Korean soldiers crossed over to the South while working within the DMZ and returned back to the North after the South’s military blared broadcasts and fired warning shots.