Several North Korean soldiers were accidentally shot and other soldiers deserted during recent tensions with South Korea, an intelligence official said Thursday, a sign of low morale in the North's military.
  

The accidents occurred during and after a 48-hour ultimatum North Korea gave to South Korea last month to end propaganda broadcasts, saying it would otherwise launch "strong military action."
  

South Korea resumed the propaganda broadcasts along the heavily fortified border in August for the first time in 11 years in retaliation for the North's land-mine attack that maimed two South Korean soldiers.
  

The Pyongyang-set deadline, which fell on Aug. 22 at 5 p.m., passed without a military clash between the two Koreas as they held rare high-level talks about 90 minutes later.
  

Still, ordinary North Korean soldiers along the border prepared to fire artillery shells into South Korea as they apparently were not aware of the high-level talks.
  

"There is one minute left. Let us become combat heroes," the intelligence official said, citing a conversation between North Korean soldiers in the tense moment ahead of the deadline.
  

Several North Koreans also sustained penetrating wounds in accidental shootings at frontline units as they apparently became relaxed after the North Korea's ultimatum passed without a shot being fired between the two Koreas, according to the official.
  

The official did not give any further details such as if anyone was killed and declined to elaborate on how South Korea obtained the intelligence.
  

He also said some North Korean soldiers deserted, though the North's military did not try to go after them, saying "we can punish them under wartime laws."
  

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un placed frontline troops on wartime footing during last month's tension with South Korea.
  

North Korea later told its troops that it had won victory against South Korea in the tense standoff, according to the official. (Yonhap)