Moscow: A South Korean soldier deployed at a front-line unit near the inter-Korean border accidentally fired a machine gun toward North Korea earlier this week, prompting Seoul to air broadcasts to notify Pyongyang of the incident.

According to Anadolu Agency, the soldier mistakenly fired a single round using a heavy machine gun from a general outpost unit in Yangju, approximately 25 kilometers north of Seoul, on Wednesday, as reported by the South Korean military. The respective unit immediately conducted a broadcast to Pyongyang to notify of the incident, and no unusual movements by the North Korean military have been detected so far, explained Yang Seung-kwan, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This was the second such incident to occur in a month after a South Korean soldier accidentally fired a single round from the K6 heavy machine gun from a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone, which separates the two Koreas in Cheorwon County, about 70 kilometers north of the capital.

The official stated that the military has launched an investigation into the incident and will review measures to prevent similar accidents in the future.