Seoul: North Korea on Saturday accused South Korea's military of having fired more than 10 warning shots at North Korean soldiers, who were conducting a border reinforcement project earlier this week, highlighting rising inter-Korean tensions amid an ongoing military exercise between Seoul and Washington.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Ko Jong-chol, vice chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), issued a statement urging Seoul to cease its "premeditated and deliberate" provocations that he claimed are "inciting military conflict," as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The statement detailed an incident on August 19, where the South Korean military allegedly fired on North Korean soldiers engaged in a barrier project near the border.

ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea, while DPRK stands for North Korea's full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea stated that the project aimed to "permanently block the southern border" following leader Kim Jong-un's declaration that inter-Korean relations are hostile.

Ko revealed that North Korea had notified U.S. forces in South Korea about the project plans on June 25 and July 18 to avoid accidental conflict. He criticized the timing of the incident, coinciding with the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise by Seoul and Washington, as a deliberate provocation.

The North warned that continuing actions to restrain the project would be seen as military provocation, warranting countermeasures. Meanwhile, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) confirmed the warning shots were fired after North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on Tuesday.

A JCS official explained that the warning was issued when North Korean soldiers approached the MDL, and shots were fired upon boundary violation. The military remains vigilant of North Korean activities near the border, particularly since last year when North Korea began fortifying the area with barbed wire and anti-tank barriers.

In efforts to ease tensions, the JCS did not publicly announce the recent warning shots, unlike previous incidents reported in June last year and April this year. North Korea's military also condemned the joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington, describing them as "extremely provocative and aggressive."

A spokesperson for the General Staff of the KPA reiterated that the DPRK would respond to military provocations with appropriate self-defense measures, underscoring the volatile state of inter-Korean relations.