BORDER GUARDS EXCHANGE FIRE ALONG DMZ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 002593 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2014 TAGS: PARM PREL MARR PGOV KS SUBJECT: BORDER GUARDS EXCHANGE FIRE ALONG DMZ Classified By: CDA Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) On July 31, border guards of the two Koreas briefly exchanged fire around 7:35 p.m. (local) in Yanggu, the eastern portion of the demilitarized zone (DMZ). According to the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) and United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission initial investigation results, North Korean soldiers fired two bullets towards a South Korean guard post, ostensibly accidentally. South Korean soldiers immediately return fired six bullets, in accordance with the general outpost rules of engagement. ROK JCS reported zero South Korean casualties. ¶2. (SBU) The media coverage on July 31 incident has been minimal. Ministry of National Defense and the Blue House have remained silent thus far. The sole public statement since the incident is a statement issued by Representative Chung Moon-Hun of the Grand National Party condemning the shooting incident and calling for a close investigation. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: These limited exchanges of fire are not unusual. Similar incidents took place in November 2001, July 2003, and October 2005. Sometimes they are truly accidental; on other occasions, they have more political motives. Post will continue to monitor the situation and report further developments. YUN