The South Korean government announced that it would build structures and turn the area into a fortress. The construction work would also include demolition work. At this time, no damage has been confirmed on the South Korean side. The South Korean military issued a warning within the South Korean side of the military demarcation line.
The destroyed road was once constructed as a joint inter-Korean project. The South Korean military released footage of the explosion on the 15th, and the black smoke rising from it was the same as that seen in the "North-Korean Reunification Project" scheduled for 2020.
This is similar to the unilateral destruction of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office, a "symbol of peace." In January of this year, North Korean leader Kim Jung Eun, the Supreme People's Assembly, the equivalent of the National Assembly,
In a speech at the National Diet, he ordered the amendment of the Constitution to clearly state that South Korea is the "number one enemy country." He also ordered the "complete and physical severance" of roads and other structures between the North and South.
As the situation worsens to the point of being a cause for concern, the General Staff of the North Korean People's Army announced on the 9th of this month through the Korean Central News Agency that it would "cut off" roads and railways connecting it to South Korea.
"Permanently blocking and sealing off the southern border with the main enemy, the Republic of Korea, is a self-defense measure to deter war and to protect the security of the Republic (North Korea)," the North Korean government said.
The South Korean military has been closely watching related movements in the North. On the 10th, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myoung-soo, the top uniformed officer in the South Korean military, said about North Korea's intention to cut off the land route to South Korea,
"It may be an attempt to prevent internal personnel from leaking out," he said. On the 14th, the South Korean military said that North Korea was carrying out activities believed to be aimed at blowing up the inter-Korean road.
Then, at around noon on the following day, the 15th, North Korea, as previously announced, took the outrageous step of blowing up the inter-Korean roads. The roads that were blown up were the ones that run parallel to the Gyeongui Line and the Donghae Line, which connect to South Korea.
Road. Footage released by the South Korean military shows an explosion and smoke rising from a road with a black fence. Subsequent footage shows excavators and trucks near the destroyed road.
The footage shows the North Korean army continuing additional work after the explosion, according to the South Korean military. The Gyeongui Line and the Donghae Line were cut off when the two Koreas were divided, but the original construction was completed in 2000.
At the inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, it was agreed to link the two roads, including the parallel roads. Groundbreaking ceremony held in September 2002.
After the summit, the project was developed as a North-South cooperation project. After a period of icy relations between the two Koreas, the then South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, then General Secretary of the Korean People's Democratic Party of Japan, held a summit in 2018.
An agreement was reached to link and modernize rail and road networks. Another groundbreaking ceremony was held. It was hoped that inter-Korean cooperation projects would get underway again, but no real progress was made.
According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the project to connect the Gyeongui Line and the Donghae Line with railways and roads is currently being considered by the South Korean government.
The project was funded by a loan from the government, and approximately 132.9 million dollars (approximately 19.824 billion yen) was invested between 2002 and 2008. Yonhap said that the explosion on the 15th had resulted in the Korean funds being withdrawn.
"It was a waste," he said. In response to the explosion, the South Korean Ministry of Unification issued a statement on the same day. It condemned the explosion as "a clear violation of the inter-Korean agreement and an extremely abnormal measure." It also said, "4
"This is a revelation of the North's unilateral destruction of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office, which had been operating for over a year under an agreement between the two Koreas last year," he said, criticizing the North for "repeatedly engaging in regressive behavior."
The Inter-Korean Liaison Office was unilaterally blown up by North Korea in 2020. The office, like the Inter-Korean Highway, was seen as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation. At the time, leaflets criticizing the North Korean regime were being distributed by North Korean defectors.
North Korea has strongly protested against the group's planting, with Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, saying, "They will soon realize the seriousness of the damage they have done to our great dignity."
The office was blown up three days after the statement was made. On the 11th of this month, North Korea claimed that South Korea had sent a drone into the airspace above Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, to drop leaflets. The South Korean military
Although Kim has denied this, Kim Yo-jong issued a statement saying, "The moment the drone is discovered again, a terrible disaster will occur." This is reminiscent of the situation before the explosion of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office in 2020, and is a cause for concern.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense issued a statement on the 13th, saying, "We warn that if the safety of our people is compromised, that day will bring an end to the North Korean regime."
2024/10/16 13:47 KST
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