North Korea is getting ready to blow up roads that cross the heavily militarised border with South Korea, Seoul said on Monday. This comes amidst an escalating war of words after North Korea accused its rival of sending drones over its capital Pyongyang.
North Korean troops were working under camouflage on the roads on its side of the border near the west and east coasts that. Seoul says the north is likely preparing to blow up roads.
Last week, North Korea’s Army said it would completely cut roads and railways connected to South Korea and fortify areas on its side of the border.
Separately, North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of sending drones to scatter a “huge number” of anti-North leaflets over Pyongyang. In what North Korea calls a political and military provocation that could lead to armed conflict.
Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to answer questions over whether the South Korea flew the drones.
North Korea warned of a “horrible disaster” if South Korean drones were again found to be flying over Pyongyang. On Sunday, it said it has put eight fully armed artillery units at the border “on standby to open fire.”
Seoul’s military has said its refusal to answer questions on the drones is because addressing what the North has alleged would be to get drawn into a tactic by Pyongyang to fabricate excuses for provocations.
South Korea has sought to boost its anti-drone defences since 2022, when five North Korean drones entered its airspace and flew over Seoul for several hours.
Lee Kyoung-haing, an expert in military drone operations at Jungwon University, said civilians would have no trouble getting drones with ranges of 300 km. This would Pyongyang within reach for drones carrying light payloads such as leaflets.
On Sunday, Pyongyang stated that the drones, were the kind that required a special launcher or a runway and it was impossible a civilian group could launch them.
The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The cross-border links are remnants of periods of rapprochement between the countries including a 2018 summit between the leaders.
North Korea has reintroduced heavy weapons into the Demilitarized Zone border buffer and restored guard posts.
Team Bharatshakti
(With inputs from Reuters)