North Korean troops have fired several bullets at a South Korean guard post inside the heavily fortified border between the countries, the military said.
Multiple gunshots were fired from North Korea at 7.41am local time towards a guard post in South Korea that borders the North, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staffs said in a statement.
South Korea responded by firing two shots towards North Korea and said no injuries were reported.
Sunday’s fire exchange took place a day after North Korea reported its leader Kim Jong Un’s first public appearance in some 20 days amid intense speculation about his health.
The North Korean leader cut the ribbon at the opening of a fertiliser factory in Sunchon at a ceremony with other senior officials.
The Koreas are split along the 155-mile long, 2.5-mile wide border called the Demilitarised Zone that was originally created as a buffer.
But contrasting its name, the DMZ is the world’s most heavily fortified border.
An estimated two million mines are peppered inside and near the DMZ, which is also guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides.
In late 2018, the two Koreas began destroying some of their frontline guard posts and removing mines from the DMZ as part of steps to reduce tensions.
But the efforts stalled amid a deadlock in nuclear negotiations between Kim and President Donald Trump meant to convince North Korea to give up its arsenal in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.
The last time there was gunfire along the border was in 2017, when North Korea sprayed bullets at a soldier fleeing to South Korea.
