Korean soldier said to kill 5 comrades

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean soldier killed five comrades Saturday night and wounded another five at the border with North Korea, a South Korean military official said.

The army sergeant opened fire with a rifle at an outpost in Gangwon province, east of Seoul, an official at South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules. Local media reported that the soldier was at large with his weapon. But the military official declined to confirm whether the soldier was still at large.

Thousands of troops from the rival Koreas square off along the world’s most heavily armed border.

There was no indication that North Korea was involved. But tensions between the rivals have been high recently, with North Korea staging a series of missile and artillery drills and threatening South Korea’s leader. The Koreas have also traded fire along their disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea. South Korea has repeatedly vowed to respond with strength if provoked by the North.