North Korea blows up roads and railways to the South

Pyongyang’s military pledged last week to permanently seal its southern border after spending months laying mines and building anti-tank barriers after leader Kim Jong Un declared the South his country’s “main enemy.” country.

The North also accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital Pyongyang, with Kim convening a security meeting to guide a plan for “immediate military action” in response, media reported Tuesday officials.

“North Korea has blown up parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the military demarcation line,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, referring to inter-Korean infrastructure that once linked the two country.

“Our soldiers suffered no damage and our forces carried out counter-fire in areas south of the MDL,” he added.

The JCS added on Tuesday evening that certain sections of railway tracks linking the North to the South had also exploded, without giving further details.

The infrastructure has long been closed, but destroying it sends a clear message that Kim is not ready to negotiate with the South, experts say.

“This is a practical military measure linked to the hostile two-state system that North Korea has often discussed,” Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in North Korea, told AFP. Seoul.

The North could also consider erecting more physical barriers along the border, Yang said, adding that roadside detonations could be “preparatory work.”

South Korea’s military released video footage showing North Korean soldiers in military uniforms before a huge explosion, which released thick smoke as it blew up sections of the Gyeongui road.

Other images, apparently from after the explosions, showed excavators digging, while soldiers worked as large red trucks arrived.

South Korea’s military also released separate footage showing North Korea blowing up a section of the Donghae Highway on the east coast.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry criticized the North for what it called an “extremely abnormal” provocation, adding that Seoul had shouldered millions of dollars for infrastructure construction.

“North Korea still has repayment obligations regarding this financing,” the statement added.

China, the North’s traditional ally, called on all parties “to avoid a further escalation of conflicts” on the peninsula, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

The United States, Seoul’s ally, called on North Korea to choose dialogue. The North should “cease any actions that could increase the risk of conflict,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

– Denial of drones –

South Korea’s military initially denied sending drones to the north, but later declined to comment, although Pyongyang directly blamed them, warning that it would consider it “a declaration of war” if another drone was sent. detected.

Later Tuesday, Kim’s powerful sister issued a statement, saying Pyongyang had obtained “clear evidence” that the South Korean military was behind the drones that reached Pyongyang.

“The provocateurs will have to pay a high price,” Kim Yo Jong said.

Militant groups in the South have long sent propaganda to the North, usually carried by balloons, but enthusiasts have also been known to fly small, hard-to-detect drones to the North.

Unlike conventional metal drones, the devices they used were made from expanded polypropylene, similar to polystyrene foam, which allowed them to go undetected by South and North Korean authorities, according to officials. enthusiasts who spoke to local media.

At Kim’s meeting on Monday, officials heard a report about the enemy’s “serious provocation,” KCNA said, adding that Kim had “expressed a firm political and military stance.”

The North said the United States should also be held responsible.

North Korea has itself sent drones south: in 2022, five drones from Pyongyang crossed the border, prompting the South Korean military to fire warning shots and deploy fighter jets.

The jets failed to shoot down any of the drones.

In July, Seoul announced it would deploy drone fusion lasers this year, adding that the South’s ability to respond to provocations would be “significantly improved.”

The question now is whether “North Korea will respond by sending drones to the South or whether it will take strong action if drones infiltrate its territory again,” said Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute. .