South Korea said on Monday it had warned North Korea of a "strong" response if it provoked an incident similar to one last week that sparked an exchange of machinegun fire across their border. The warning came as South Korean President Park Geun-hyereiterated on Monday her commitment to engage with the North, despite what she called "the dual nature" of ties, saying the "door was always open to dialogue".

South Korea said the North Korean firing was a "provocative act" that had violated the truce suspending their 1950-53 war and the complaint was reiterated in a notice the South sent the North late on Sunday. "It is a stern warning of a strong response in the event of further provocation," South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a briefing.