Seoul: A South Korean soldier stationed at a front-line unit near the inter-Korean border accidentally fired a machine gun toward North Korea earlier this week, prompting the military to air broadcasts to notify the North of the incident, the military said Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the soldier mistakenly fired a single round from the K6 heavy machine gun from a general outpost unit in Yangju, some 25 kilometers north of Seoul, at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The military took immediate action by conducting broadcasts to inform North Korea of the misfire, and so far, no unusual movements by the North Korean military have been detected, as confirmed by Yang Seung-kwan, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), during a regular press briefing.
This incident follows a similar occurrence just about a month ago when a South Korean soldier accidentally fired a single round from the K6 from a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in Cheorwon County, approximately 70 kilometers north of the capital. Yang, the JCS official, stated that the military has launched an investigation into the case and will review measures to prevent similar accidents in the future.