Seoul on Tuesday, said North Korea has blown up sections of the deeply symbolic roads and railways connecting it to the South. The Seoul’s military added that it had conducted a “counter-fire” operation in response.
According to reports, the Pyongyang’s military last week vowed to permanently seal its southern border. This is after spending months laying mines and building anti-tank barriers in the wake of leader Kim Jong Un declaring the South his country’s “principal enemy”.
“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 direct a plan of “immediate military action” in response,” state media reported Tuesday.
“North Korea has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday. Referring to inter-Korean infrastructure that once connected the two countries.
“There has been no damage to our military, and our forces conducted counter-fire in areas south of the MDL,” it added.
The JCS added late Tuesday that some sections of railways connecting the North to the South had also been detonated. They, however, did not give further details.
According to experts, the infrastructure have long been shuttered. But destroying them sends a clear message that Kim is not prepared to negotiate with the South.
“This is a practical military measure related to the hostile dual-state system that North Korea has frequently mentioned,” Yang Moo-jin, President of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
“The North may also be looking to erect more physical barriers along the border” Moo-jin said. He added that the road detonations could be “preparatory work.”
Reports stated that South Korea’s military released video footage showing North Korean soldiers in military uniforms ahead of a huge explosion, which emitted thick billowing smoke as it blew up sections of the Gyeongui road.
“More footage, apparently from after the blasts, showed excavators digging, while soldiers worked as large red trucks arrived.
“The Seoul military also released separate footage showing North Korea blowing up a section of the Donghae Road. The Road is on the East coast.
South Korea’s unification ministry slammed the North for what it called an “extremely abnormal” provocation. It added that Seoul had shouldered millions in costs for building the infrastructure.
“North Korea still has repayment obligations regarding this funding,” it added.
China, a traditional ally of the North, has called on all parties to maintain caution.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, both parties should try “to avoid further escalation of conflicts” on the peninsula.
source: AFP
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