South Korean military fires warning shots at North Korean soldiers near border

The South Korean military fired warning shots Monday at soldiers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), who were getting close to the military demarcation line (MDL), an official at Seoul's defense ministry said.About 10 DPRK soldiers went south towards the MDL in Paju, some 40km northwest of Seoul, at around 9:40am local time, the defense ministry official said by phone.

The South Korean military fired about 20 rounds of warning shots with K-2 and K-3 rifles, after issuing warning broadcasts.The DPRK troops turned back north at about 1pm without launching any return fire, the official said.This came after South Korea's army, navy and air force began their largest-ever annual joint drill earlier in the day, which will run through Nov. 21.

The exercises will mobilize about 330,000 troops, more than quadrupling the near 80,000 soldiers who participated in the drill last year. Also deployed will be some 23,000 mobile military equipment, 60 warships and lots of airplanes.On Oct. 19, the two Koreas exchanged fire across the land border in Paju as about 10 DPRK soldiers approached the MDL inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ). At that time, the South Korean military launched warning shots at the DPRK troops who fired back against the South Korean guard post within the DMZ.