Post date: Oct 29, 2010 12:52:16 PM
South Korea's cable news channel YTN reports that North and South Korea exchanged gunfire across their heavily armed land border, no injuries or further provocations were reported.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (OCTOBER 29, 2010) YTN - South Korean media reported on Friday (October 29) that North and South Korea exchanged gunfire across their heavily armed land border.
Despite an apparent thaw in tensions on the divided peninsula in the past few months, the North Korean frontline guard post fired two shots at around 5:26 p.m. (local time) towards a South Korean guard post and the South returned fire with three shots, a joint chiefs of staff official said.
It was not immediately clear why North Korea fired first, he said.
The South's cable news channel YTN said the shots were fired toward a front-line unit in Cheorwon in the eastern province of Gangwon. There were no reports of injuries.
The South's defence ministry said, in a written statement, that there's no further or extraordinary movements from the North.
Earlier in the day, the North denounced South Korea for rejecting its proposal to hold more military talks. South Korea said it won't return to the negotiating table until its neighbour admits responsibility for sinking one of its warships,
The North threatened the rejection would bring 'catastrophic impact' on the inter-Korea relations.
Relations between the two Koreas, still technically at war after signing only a truce to half hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War, sank to the lowest level in years in March with the torpedoing of the South's warship, killing 46 sailors.
South Korea and the United States said the North was responsible for the sinking, but Pyongyang denied any role.
In the past few months, tensions have eased on the peninsula with the South sending aid to its impoverished neighbour, and on the weekend the two sides will resume reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
The thaw comes as regional powers look for ways to restart talks with the North on ending its nuclear arms programme.
However, Seoul has said said it won't return to bilateral negotiations until the reclusive North acknowledges being behind the attack, posing a major stumbling block to the resumption of aid-for-disarmament talks with Pyongyang.