The two soldiers thought they would be fighting South Korean troops and were told to kill themselves rather than be captured.

Last week's accidental shelling of a South Korean village occurred less than 20 miles from the border of the nuclear-armed North.

North Korea condemned an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise Wednesday, saying another incident like Seoul's recent accidental bombing of its own village near the DMZ could lead to "a new armed conflict.

The US and South Korea paused their live-fire drills after the incident but the Freedom Edge 25 drills will continue through March 20 as per schedule

North Korea has issued a sharp rebuke over the major military exercise being carried out by the U.S. and its South Korean ally, labeling the training a "war rehearsal." Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and the South Korean embassy in the U.