SEOUL, October 15. /TASS/. North Korean authorities have blown up roads connecting the two Koreas, Yonhap reported citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The detonated roads are located in western and eastern parts of the peninsula, the report says.
"The North Korean military conducted detonations, assumed to be aimed at cutting off the Gyeongui and Donghae roads, at around noon and is carrying out additional activities using heavy equipment," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. "The military is closely monitoring the North Korean military's activities and maintains a firm readiness posture amid strengthened surveillance under South Korea-U.S. cooperation."
Previously, the South Korean military warned that North Korea was likely preparing to detonate the roads.
On October 9, the North Korean General Staff stated that it will block off roads and railways to South Korea and "will turn the southern border into a fortress." Pyongyang pointed out that it had begun "practical measures on gradual territorial demarcation."
The South Korean military published video footage of the aftermath of the explosion at the western demarcation line, which connects South Korea’s Paju to North Korea’s Kaesong. The video shows excavators and trucks clearing out the detonation site. According to the South Korean military, the detonation occurred 10 meters away from the military demarcation line at 11:49 a.m. [local time] in the west and at about 12:01 p.m. in the east. The military says that large spans of road have been damaged.
The symbols of inter-Korean cooperation
The Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman opined that "it is unlikely that the North may stage another ‘show’" with explosions.
"Blowing up the inter-Korean roads may be its final act as it has already destroyed other visible signs of inter-Korean cooperation, such as the inter-Korean joint liaison office," the official said.
The office was blown up in 2020 because of Seoul’s inability to stop the dissemination of leaflets containing criticism of North Korean authorities across the border. Seoul also speculated that a concrete wall may be erected in place of the detonated roads.
According to The Korea Times, the western transport corridor used to connect South Korea to the Kaesong industrial complex, which stopped its operation in 2016. The last time it was used was in 2020, when South Korean officials left the inter-Korean liaison office due to the Covid pandemic. The eastern line was used for delivering food aid to North Korea and for tourist’s trips to the Kumgang mountains, which stopped in 2008. The eastern line has not been used since 2019. The roads were built in the 2000s during the inter-Korean rapprochement.
Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered all channels on the inter-Korean border be blocked. Later, the South Korean media reported that North Korea mined two roads in the west and the east and removed the light fixtures there. In June, the media reported that North Korea removed railway sleepers on the eastern coast. According to South Korea, the DPRK has been reinforcing the border since April. Seoul speculated that North Korea may be building anti-tank barriers or a continuous wall.