JCS Reviews Award Leave for Sentinels Who Fired Blank Rounds

Civilian Stops Unauthorized Crossing of Military Demarcation Line Following Manual

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that they are considering granting reward leave to sentries who blocked civilians attempting to illegally cross the Civilian Control Line (CCL) in accordance with regulations.

On the 22nd, reporters were walking along the 'DMZ Peace Trail' in Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do. The government announced that following the first phase opening of the Goseong section on the 27th of last month, the Cheorwon section will be opened to the public starting June 1, with participant applications being accepted from the 20th. The Cheorwon section to be opened this time is 15 km long and takes about 3 hours to travel by vehicle and on foot.
Photo by Joint Press Corps

On the 26th, Lee Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated at the Ministry of National Defense regular briefing, "Around noon yesterday, three civilians attempted to illegally enter the Civilian Control Post (CCP) in Goseong, Gangwon Province, riding motorcycles. The sentries properly stopped them according to the manual and secured the individuals."

According to military authorities, three unidentified men on two motorcycles visited the Jejin checkpoint in Goseong County, Gangwon Province, claiming they wanted to go to the Unification Observatory north of the CCL. The sentries informed them that motorcycles are restricted from entry according to regulations and that prior application to the DMZ Access Office is required to pass the checkpoint. Despite this explanation, when the men insisted on entering, the sentries fired warning shots toward the ground.

Lee explained, "During the process of preventing illegal entry, the civilians attempted to harm the sentries, so the sentries fired two warning shots downward in accordance with regulations," adding, "We are considering granting reward leave."

Regarding the investigation, he said, "Since this matter primarily involves the sentries, the military police will conduct the investigation first, and other related matters will be investigated by the civilian police."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.