Seoul: Two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border after a North Korean soldier crossed into South Korea to defect earlier this week, military sources said Friday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the armed soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and advanced about 200 meters toward a South Korean guard post on October 19. They are presumed to have been chasing the North Korean soldier who defected to the South earlier on the same day through the central section of the border.

In response to the two North Korean soldiers, the South Korean military issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots, which prompted the intruders to retreat. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that no unusual movements were detected from the North Korean military following the defection.

A JCS official mentioned that the military opted not to disclose the border intrusion initially, as it was unclear whether the soldiers were indeed chasing the defector, due to a gap of more than five hours between the two incidents. Some observers speculate that the decision to withhold information may have been aimed at avoiding unnecessary tension with North Korea.