NORTH Korea blew up sections of the deeply significant roadways connecting it to the South on Tuesday (October 15), according to Seoul’s military, which said it had responded with a “counter-fire” operation.
Pyongyang’s military threatened last week to permanently close its southern border after months of planting mines and constructing anti-tank obstacles following leader Kim Jong Un’s declaration of the South as his country’s “principal enemy”.
North Korea accused Seoul of employing drones to dump anti-regime propaganda leaflets on Pyongyang last week, prompting Kim to convene a security council to approve a plan of “immediate military action” in response, according to official media.
“North Korea has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on Tuesday, referring to the inter-Korean infrastructure that once linked the two countries.
“There has been no damage to our military, and our forces conducted counter-fire in areas south of the MDL,” it said.
The highways have long been closed, but breaking down them sends a clear message that Kim is unwilling to deal with the South, analysts added.
“This is a practical military measure related to the hostile dual-state system that North Korea has frequently mentioned,” Yang Moo-jin, head of the Seoul-based University of North Korean Studies, told AFP.
The North may also be planning to build more physical barriers along the border, Yang speculated, adding that the road detonations may be “preparatory work for its construction of those walls”.
The South Korean military revealed video evidence of North Korean men in military clothing setting up what seemed to be cameras on tripods before a massive explosion that blew up sections of the Gyeongui highway.
The explosion created heavy, billowing smoke and occurred amid verdant forests. More footage, reportedly from after the explosions, showed excavators digging while North Koreans in military clothes worked as large red trucks came.
The Seoul military also released images of North Korea blowing up a portion of the Donghae road on the east coast.
South Korea’s unification ministry condemned the North for what it called an “extremely abnormal” provocation, noting that Seoul has borne millions in infrastructure expenditures.
“North Korea still has repayment obligations regarding this funding,” according to the statement.
DRONE DENIAL
Seoul’s military first denied deploying drones north but has since refrained from commenting, despite Pyongyang’s direct responsibility, warning that another drone would be considered “a declaration of war” if spotted.
Later on Tuesday, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a statement, claiming 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 stated.
Activist groups in the South have generally delivered propaganda northward, normally via balloons, but enthusiasts have also been known to launch small, difficult-to-detect drones into the North.
Unlike standard metal drones, the gadgets they utilized were created out of expanded polypropylene, which is similar to styrofoam, letting them to avoid detection by both South and North Korean officials, according to enthusiasts who spoke to local media.
Officials heard a briefing on the “enemy’s serious provocation” during Kim’s summit on Monday, adding that Kim “expressed a tough political and military stand.”
The North has stated that the United States, which has a military partnership with South Korea, must also be held accountable.
North Korea has also dispatched drones southward; in 2022, five of Pyongyang’s drones breached the border, causing the South Korean military to fire warning shots and send fighter jets.
The jets failed to fire down any of the drones.
Seoul announced in July that it would launch drone-melting lasers this year, claiming that the South’s ability to respond to threats would be “significantly enhanced”.
The new laser weapons, called the “StarWars Project” by the South, shoot an invisible, silent beam that costs only 2,000 won (US$1.45) per use, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
According to Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute, the question now is whether “North Korea will respond by sending drones into the South or take strong action if drones infiltrate its territory again”.
Ties among the two Koreas have reached their lowest point in years, with the North’s army announcing last week that it would permanently close the southern border by “completely cutting off roads and railways” connected to the South and establishing “strong defense structures.”
