Seoul:
North Korea on Tuesday blew up sections of the proset uply symbolic roads combineing it to the South, Seoul’s military shelp, compriseing it had directed a “counter-fire” operation in response.
Pyongyang’s military last week vowed to lastingly seal its southern border after spfinishing months laying mines and produceing anti-tank barriers in the wake of directer Kim Jong Un’s declaring the South his country’s “principal opponent”.
Last week, North Korea accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime misadviseation leaflets on the capital Pyongyang, with Kim convening a security encountering to straightforward a arrange of “instant military action” in response, state media telled Tuesday.
“North Korean has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff shelp Tuesday, referring to inter-Korean infraarrange that once combinecessitate the two countries.
“There has been no harm to our military, and our forces directed counter-fire in areas south of the MDL,” it compriseed.
The roads have lengthy been shuttered, but ruining them sfinishs a clear message that Kim is not readyd to talk about with the South, experts shelp.
“This is a down-to-earth military meacertain connectd to the unfrifinishly dual-state system that North Korea has frequently alludeed,” Yang Moo-jin, plivent of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, telderly AFP.
The North may also be seeing to erect more physical barriers alengthy the border, Yang shelp, compriseing that the road detonations could be “preparatory labor for its produceion of those walls”.
Drones?
Seoul’s military initiassociate denied sfinishing drones north but has subsequently deteriorated to comment, even as Pyongyang has denounced them straightforwardly, cautioning it would ponder it “a declaration of war” if another drone was finded.
Activist groups have lengthy sent misadviseation northwards, typicassociate by balloon, and enthusiasts are also understandn to have flown minuscule, difficult-to-find drones into the North.
Unappreciate conservative drones made of metal, the devices they used were produceed from enhugeed polypropylene, aappreciate to Styrofoam, apexamineing them to go unfinded by both South and North Korean authorities, according to enthusiasts who spoke to local media.
At Kim’s encountering Monday, officials heard a tell on the “opponent’s grave instigation”, shelp KCNA, compriseing Kim had “conveyed a hard political and military stand”.
The North has shelp the United States, which has a military coalition with South Korea, should also be held reliable.
North Korea has itself sent drones southwards — in 2022, five of Pyongyang’s drones passed the border, prompting the South Korean military to fire cautioning shots and deploy fighter jets.
The jets flunked to shoot down any of the drones.
In July, Seoul shelp it would deploy drone-melting lasers this year, saying the South’s ability to reply to instigations would be “transport inantly raised”.
The new laser arms — dubbed the “StarWars Project” by the South — shoot an inapparent, mute beam that costs fair 2,000 won ($1.45) per use, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years, with the North’s army saying last week it would lastingly shut the southern border by “finishly cutting off roads and railways” combinecessitate to the South and produceing “strong defence arranges”.
Folloprosperg Kim’s encountering in Pyongyang, “attention is turning to whether North Korea will reply by sfinishing drones into the South or apshow strong action if drones infiltrate its territory aachieve”, shelp Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute.
“North Korea is probable to participate in strong instigations alengthy the border if there is a recurrence of drone infiltrations,” Cheong telderly AFP.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-produced from a syndicated feed.)
