N. Korea Troops Fire Shots in DMZ

SEOUL — North Korean soldiers fired shots Friday in the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas, then crossed over to the zone’s southern end, where South Korean guards fired warning shots to chase them out.

The incursion, as reported by the South Korean Defense Ministry, violated the Korean War armistice and was the first reported since North Korean soldiers entered the zone on three consecutive nights in early April.

The United States dismissed the incursion as “a minor incident.” But a State Department spokesman said Washington would ask North Korea to account for the soldiers’ actions.