US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says shots fired earlier today from North Korea towards the South in the DMZ that divides the peninsula are believed to have been “accidental.”
“Handful of shots came across from the north; we think those were accidental,” he says on ABC’s “This Week.”
“South Koreans did return fire. There was no loss of life on either side,” he adds.
The border incident comes a day after North Korean state media said Kim Jong Un had made his first public appearance after a nearly three-week unexplained absence from public view.
Pompeo declines to comment on what the US knew about the North Korean leader’s absence, or whether it was linked to a rumored health issue.
“We have seen the same images from yesterday that the world saw. It looks like Chairman Kim is alive and well,” he says.
“Our mission remains the same, to convince the North Koreans to give up their nuclear weapons and create a brighter future for the North Korean people.”
— AFP
Is our live war coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our wartime journalism
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable during the ongoing Israel-Iran war, when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this