North Korea has detonated portions of inter-Korean roads and railways on its territory near the heavily fortified border, leading South Korea’s military to discharge warning shots.
Last week, Pyongyang announced its decision to completely sever the inter-Korean road and rail connections and to further reinforce its border areas, aligning with its agenda for a “two-state” framework that abandons its long-standing unification aspirations.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that around midday, several northern segments of the roads and rail lines linking to the South were destroyed.
Seoul’s unification ministry, responsible for cross-border relations, condemned these actions as a blatant violation of previous inter-Korean agreements, labeling the situation as “highly abnormal”.
Tensions have escalated since the North accused Seoul of deploying drones over Pyongyang. North Korea claimed these drones dispersed a “huge number” of anti-North leaflets, with Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, warning that Seoul would “pay a dear price”.
The South Korean government has refrained from confirming whether its military or civilians operated the alleged drones.
Additionally, conflicts have arisen between the two Koreas regarding trash balloons released from North Korea since May. Pyongyang asserted that these launches were in retaliation for balloons sent by anti-regime activists based in the South.
Following the demolitions, footage released by the South’s military captured an explosion and a column of smoke rising from an area of road where the North had installed a black barrier.
The video also depicted several dump trucks and earth-moving machinery approaching, with a group of North Korean military officials observing and directing the operations.
In reaction to the blasts, the South’s military fired warning shots south of the military demarcation line; however, it was reported that there was no damage on the South’s side of the border.
Old symbols of reconciliation
Since Kim Jong Un labeled the South as a “primary foe” earlier this year and stated that unification was no longer feasible, Pyongyang has been taking measures to dismantle inter-Korean relations, redefining the South as a separate, hostile enemy state.
Technically, the two Koreas remain in a state of war, as the 1950-53 conflict concluded with an armistice instead of a peace treaty.
The remaining cross-border roads and railways are vestiges of previous rapprochement efforts, including a summit in 2018. According to unification ministry data, Seoul invested over $132 million into restoring these links through low-interest loans to Pyongyang.
Ministry spokesperson Koo stated, “It was a significant inter-Korean cooperation project carried out at the request of the North,” while emphasizing that Pyongyang still holds the obligation to repay the loans.
In 2020, North Korea destroyed a joint liaison office established in a border town after nuclear negotiations with the United States fell through.
In 2023, South Korea filed a lawsuit against the North, seeking approximately 45 billion won ($33 million) in damages for the demolition of the joint office.
During a press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed concern over the situation and reiterated Beijing’s desire to “avoid further escalation of the conflict”.
The government of South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province, which borders the North, announced plans to deploy a special police force to curb the practice of releasing anti-North Korea leaflets from certain border zones.
Last year, South Korea’s constitutional court overturned a prohibition on such launches.
Supporters argue that leaflet campaigns should be upheld as an expression of free speech, while critics and some lawmakers contend that police should intervene if these actions endanger lives and safety.
