North Korea has threatened to retaliate if South Korea’s military continues to fire warning shots at North Korean soldiers who approach the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
 
The Defense Ministry in Seoul said the North issued the threat on Tuesday in a wire message sent through a military hotline under the name of the North’s chief delegate to inter-Korean general-level talks.
 
The message addressed Sunday's exchange of fire between the two Koreas, saying the North Korean soldiers who approached the MDL were merely on patrol around the inter-Korean border.
 
Seoul's Defense Ministry replied in a message and made it clear that the North first violated the MDL and engaged in provocation. The South’s message also urged the North to come up with ways to prevent such an incident from happening again.
 
The ministry said the South Korean military is closely watching movements by the North's military to prepare for any emergencies.
 
The exchange of fire on Sunday came just a day after North Korean soldiers approached the MDL and withdrew after the South Korean military fired warning shots.