South Korea’s military fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers in the border area between the two countries on Tuesday, Pyongyang’s military claimed in a Saturday statement carried by state media, amid the ongoing U.S.-ROK Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises. 

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the incident happened around 3 p.m. Tuesday. North Korean troops carrying out work near the central section of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and were met with warning fire from ROK soldiers, after which they returned to the North, according to the JCS.

Calling it a “grave act