North Korea blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and railway lines on its side of the heavily fenced border between the two Koreas on Tuesday, prompting South Korean troops to open fire.
Pyongyang said last week it would completely cut off Korean roads and railways and fortify areas on its side of the border as part of its “two-state” plan that undermines its long-standing goal of unification.
Around noon on Tuesday, some northern sections of roads and railways connecting to the South were destroyed, said the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the South.
Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, condemned the incident as a clear violation of previous inter-Korean agreements, calling it “very unusual.”
“It is regrettable that North Korea is doing this again,” ministry spokesman Koo Byoung-sam told the forum.
Tensions flared after the North last week accused Seoul of sending drones to Pyongyang. North Korea said the planes were distributing “a large number” of anti-North leaflets, and Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, warned on Tuesday that Seoul would “pay an incredible price.”
The South Korean government has declined to say whether South Korean soldiers or civilians piloted the suspected drones.
The two Koreas have also clashed over garbage balloons that have been floating since May from North Korea. Pyongyang said the launch was in response to balloons sent by anti-government activists in the South.
North Korea has sent hundreds of balloons carrying cigarette butts, batteries and fertilizer to South Korea. Andrew Chang explains why, and how this plays into the bigger, more critical picture.
After Tuesday’s demolition, a video released by the South’s military showed explosions and smoke billowing from an area of the road where the North had installed a black barrier.
It also featured several dump trucks and earth-movers with a group of North Korean military officers watching and directing the vehicles.
In response to the explosion, the South’s military fired warning shots south of the demarcation line, although there was no damage on the Seoul side of the border, it said.
China expresses concern
Pyongyang has been taking steps to sever inter-Korean relations, redefining the South as a separate, hostile country, since Kim Jong-un declared the “main enemy” earlier this year and said unification was no longer possible.
The two Koreas are at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Cross-border roads and railways are a remnant of the rapprochement involving the 2018 summit. Seoul has invested more than $132 million to rebuild ties in the form of cheap loans to Pyongyang, data from the unification ministry showed.
“It was a major inter-Korean cooperation project carried out at the request of the North,” said ministry spokesman Koo, adding that Pyongyang is still obligated to repay the loan.
In 2020, the North blew up a joint liaison office set up in a border town after the collapse of nuclear talks with the United States.
South Korea filed a lawsuit in 2023 against the North, seeking 45 billion won ($45 million) in damages for the demolition of the joint office.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a news conference that Beijing is concerned about the development and wants to “avoid escalation of the conflict.”
The government of South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province on the northern border said on Tuesday that special police would be brought in to stop the practice of flying anti-North Korean leaflets from certain areas along the border.
South Korea’s constitutional court overturned a ban on the launch last year.
Supporters say leaflet campaigns should be respected as free speech, but critics and other law-makers say police should stop them if they threaten health and safety.
Source link
