You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
China-Japan-Koreas
North & South Korea exchange gun fire
2006-08-01
North and South Korean troops exchanged gunfire across their heavily fortified border for the first time in about a year, a military official said on Tuesday, with the incident coming as once warming ties turn chilly.

North Korean troops fired two shots at a South Korean guard post near the Demilitarized Zone late on Monday and South Korean troops returned six shots, an official said by telephone.

"No one was injured in the incident," the Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, referring to South Korean troops. There was no word if any North Korean soldiers were hurt.

The Joint Chiefs issued a statement saying the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission -- monitoring a truce that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War and has left the two countries technically at war since then -- will look into the skirmish.

One of the shots hit the guard post, causing South Korean troops to immediately return fire, the official said.

Ties between the Cold War foes had warmed in recent years after they reached agreements on economic cooperation and military confidence-building.

But even warmer ties did not prevent the occasional clash.

Last October, North Korea fired a bullet toward a South Korean guard post and the South returned fire and the two navies clashed along a disputed maritime border in 2002, resulting in deaths and casualties on both sides.
Posted by:Oztralian

#9  I say nuking North Korea would be "Proportionate"
Posted by: DarthVader   2006-08-01 09:18  

#8  Right on GK. Where's the UN.
Maybe the North only had two bullets. Let's give the North more money, so we can get these exchanges more proportionate.
Posted by: plainslow   2006-08-01 08:28  

#7  You didn't know that Joe is a CIA psychic? Either that or he's off his meds again.
Posted by: Spot   2006-08-01 08:11  

#6  JM some days you freak me out. :)
Posted by: djohn66   2006-08-01 07:26  

#5  Ya, WHAT????
Posted by: ARMYGUY   2006-08-01 06:59  

#4  "D *** ed CIA-INTEL psychics, whom officially are not andor not there, playin' too much touchy-feely wid the leg hairs, AGAIN"

What?
Posted by: Rory B. Bellows   2006-08-01 06:27  

#3  North Korean troops fired two shots at a South Korean guard post ... South Korean troops returned six shots
A disproportionate response. Just terrible.
Posted by: GK   2006-08-01 06:23  

#2  hm does NK want to help Iran?
Posted by: Wheack Spinelet1983   2006-08-01 03:19  

#1  D *** it, was expectin' it o'er the weekend, not today. D *** ed CIA-INTEL psychics, whom officially are not andor not there, playin' too much touchy-feely wid the leg hairs, AGAIN - Prioritize, men, prioritize.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-08-01 03:17  

00:00