North and South Korean Soldiers Exchange Fire in Shootout at DMZ

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https://news.vice.com/article/north-and-south-korean-soldiers-exchange-fire-in-shootout-at-dmz?utm_source=vicenewstwitter

A 10-minute shootout occurred Sunday between North and South Korea after soldiers from the North approached the heavily fortified border between the two countries and did not retreat when the South fired warning shots, according to an account of the incident from South Korean officials.

The skirmish was triggered when a group of 10 North Korean soldiers approached the military demarcation line inside the 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone separating the two states, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. The North Koreans briefly returned fire before retreating. No fatalities or injuries were reported.

The incident comes just 10 days after the last gun battle between the rival Koreas, which began after North Korea shot down balloons carrying leaflets that had been released by anti-Pyongyang campaigners from the South. No casualties arose from that incident either.

North and South Korea exchange gunfire over propaganda balloons as Kim Jong-un misses national event. Read more here.

North Korea has previously requested that the South rein in activists that send leaflets across the border encouraging people in the North to rise up against the their Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean news outlet Korean Central News Agency had previously issued a warning on Pyongyang's behalf that there would be an "uncontrollable catastrophe" if the sending of propaganda pamphlets wasn't halted.

The South has refused to curb leafleting, saying its citizens are exercising their democratic right to free speech.