South Korea has confirmed it fired warning shots earlier in the week at North Korean soldiers who briefly crossed the heavily-fortified border between the two countries. North Korean state media called the shots a "deliberate provocation" and Pyongyang has accused Seoul of risking "uncontrollable" tensions.

Calling the incident ‘a serious provocation’, a North Korean army official warned that it could be a prelude to a larger confrontation.

North Korea accuses South Korea of a “serious provocation” after South Korean troops fired warning shots Tuesday at North Korean soldiers setting up barriers along their tense border.