Tensions between North Korea and South Korea have escalated after Pyongyang accused Seoul of fabricating a landmine incident near their heavily fortified border and warned of consequences for any violation of its sovereignty. The latest exchange comes as North Korean artillery vehicles were reportedly spotted near the border, raising concerns over a possible military confrontation.
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, North Korea rejected South Korea's allegations over a September landmine explosion and accused Seoul of portraying its border construction activities as a military incursion.
The developments also come amid increased military activity along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries.
North Korean howitzers spotted near border
A Reuters witness at an observatory in South Korea overlooking the border spotted three North Korean armoured vehicles positioned near the frontier on Monday.
The vehicles had their gun barrels pointed south. The news agency also observed around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying out fencing work inside the DMZ.
The vehicles were identified as self-propelled 122-mm howitzers by South Korea's Yonhap news agency. It also described their positioning as a rare public display of artillery near the border.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in Seoul, described the deployment as unusual. “It is highly unusual (for North Korea) to expose its self-propelled artillery so conspicuously,” he told Reuters.
“By deliberately displaying it, North Korea is signalling through action, not words, that it intends to enforce its border policy through force rather than dialogue or negotiation.”
Lim added that the deployment could also be intended as a warning to South Korea against escalating tensions along the border, potentially to prevent an accidental military clash.
Apart from the artillery deployment, North Korean troops have also been conducting military exercises near the border.
Yonhap reported on Sunday that North Korean soldiers were carrying out drills along the coast of Kaepung county, approximately 1.5 km from the South Korean observatory.
North Korea warns Seoul in letter to UN
Meanwhile, North Korea has accused South Korea of using the September landmine incident to portray its border construction work as a military incursion.
According to North Korean state media KCNA, Pyongyang's representative to the UN made the allegations in a letter sent to the security council on Sunday.
The letter warned that any violation of North Korea's sovereignty could prompt self-defence measures and that South Korea would be "wholly accountable for all the ensuing consequences."
Pyongyang also repeated allegations that South Korean forces had opened fire on North Korean personnel, calling it a violation of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against another country's territorial integrity.
South Korea, however, has maintained that its military uses warning broadcasts and fires warning shots when North Korean soldiers cross the military demarcation line (MDL), which runs through the DMZ.
The latest exchange follows a letter sent by South Korea to the UN Security Council last week over a September 21 explosion inside the DMZ.
Seoul alleged that the blast was caused by a landmine planted by North Korean troops and constituted a violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement.
The UN Command, which oversees the DMZ, also said that a North Korean mine placed across the demarcation line violated the armistice. Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the incident.