North Korea Destroys Inter-Korean Links

North Korea blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, further escalating tensions on the peninsula.

The explosions occurred around midday on the northern side of the heavily fortified border, according to a message from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to media. The JCS said the North had detonated sections of roads and rail lines that connected to the South.

In response, South Korea’s military fired warning shots south of the military demarcation line, but reported no damage on its side of the border.

The explosions followed a pledge last week by Pyongyang to completely sever inter-Korean roads and railways and fortify the areas on its side of the border. Seoul warned Monday that the North appeared to be preparing for a detonation.

The North has already been installing landmines and barriers along the border, and was observed Monday using heavy equipment for additional work, according to the JCS. South Korea has responded by increasing surveillance and readiness.

Despite the 1950-53 armistice, the two Koreas have technically remained at war. The cross-border links were established during periods of rapprochement, including a 2018 summit between the leaders of the two Koreas when they declared a new era of peace had opened.

South Korea spent approximately 180 billion won ($132 million) rebuilding the inter-Korean road, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

The latest escalation follows a war of words between the Koreas after the North accused the South of sending drones over Pyongyang, scattering anti-North leaflets. North Korea considers this a political and military provocation that could lead to armed conflict.

While a spokesman for South Korea’s JCS declined to comment on Monday on whether the alleged drones were flown by South Korean military or civilians, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a meeting with defence and security officials on the same day to discuss how to respond to what state media KCNA called “the enemy’s serious provocation that violated the sovereignty of the DPRK.”