North Korea fired multiple shots at South Korea on Sunday at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which divides the peninsula, prompting a response from the South Korean military, Seoul said.
This rare exchange of fire occurred the day after Kim Jong Un's appearance in public, for the first time in three weeks, after weeks of speculation and rumors abroad about his state of health.
Not intentional?
A South Korean guard post was hit by several shots from the North on Sunday morning and no casualties were reported from the South side, the Joint Staff said in a statement.
"Our soldiers responded with two rounds of shots and a warning message, in accordance with our procedure," said Seoul.
The South Korean military then declared that the North Korean fire was "not considered intentional," according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The two countries are still technically at war since the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
Contrary to its name, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is one of the most fortified places on the planet. It is riddled with barbed wire fencing and minefields, making any attempt at crossing extremely dangerous.
Neutral situation
The easing of military tensions at the border is part of the agreements reached in September 2018 at a summit in Pyongyang between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Most of these agreements, however, have remained a dead letter.
Likewise, talks with the United States over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal have stalled despite three meetings between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
This process would have been further compromised if the North Korean leader had really found himself unable to lead the country or if he had died as some speculation has suggested in recent weeks.
Kim Jong Un reappears
State television showed Kim Jong Un walking, smiling widely and smoking a cigarette during the inauguration on Friday May 1 of a factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang.
The American president said on Saturday "happy" with the public reappearance of the North Korean leader and to see him apparently in good health. "For my part, I'm happy to see that he's back and in good shape!" Wrote Donald Trump on Twitter.
A few days before, Mike Pompeo, the head of the American diplomacy, had said to keep "hope" in a denuclearization of North Korea.
Washington's complete denuclearization
"Whatever information arrives from North Korea about their leaders, our mission remains the same": "Complete and verified denuclearization of North Korea," said US Secretary of State for the Press .
"We are always hopeful of finding a way to negotiate this solution to achieve a good result for the Americans, for the North Koreans and for the whole world," he added, while acknowledging that there was " a lot of work to do ”.
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