Seoul: North Korea has destroyed sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border, escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, according to South Korea’s military. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that explosions occurred around midday, targeting northern parts of the infrastructure that connected to the South.
In response, the South Korean military fired warning shots south of the military demarcation line dividing the two nations, though the blasts did not cause any damage on Seoul’s side. These detonations followed North Korea’s pledge last week to sever inter-Korean roads and railways completely while enhancing fortifications along its border. South Korea had warned on Monday that the North was preparing for such explosions.
The North has already begun installing landmines and barriers along the border and was seen on Monday conducting additional work with heavy equipment, according to the JCS. Following the incident, South Korea heightened its surveillance and military readiness.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. The cross-border links are remnants of earlier attempts at rapprochement, including a 2018 summit when leaders of both nations declared an end to hostilities and the beginning of a new era of peace.
According to Yonhap news agency, South Korea invested approximately 180 billion won ($132 million) in taxpayer money to reconstruct the inter-Korean road.
Tensions have further escalated as North Korea accused the South of flying drones over its capital, Pyongyang. North Korean officials stated that the drones disseminated a “huge number” of anti-North leaflets, which they characterized as a political and military provocation that could lead to armed conflict.
A spokesman for South Korea’s JCS declined to comment on whether South Korean military or civilians had operated the alleged drones. On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a meeting with defense and security officials to strategize a response to what state media KCNA termed “the enemy’s serious provocation that violated the sovereignty of the DPRK,” with DPRK standing for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
