North Korea May Destroy Inter-Korean Roads, Says Seoul (image-asiapacific.ca)
South Korea on Monday said that it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads that are no longer in use amid soaring tension in the Korean peninsula.
The South Korean spokesperson has said that they have observed various activities in North Korea which appear to be preparations for demolition of roads by installing screens.
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“They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads,” Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told at a briefing.
North Korea had accused South Korea of using drones to drop propaganda leaflets over its territory three times, and threatened to respond with force of it happens again.
In a statement, the North’s Defense Ministry said that the military had positioned several army units near the border and was “getting fully ready to open fire” and the South Korea would “turn into piles of ash” if it attacked.
South Korea, meanwhile, has not confirmed whether it has deployed drones but has stressed that it would respond strongly if the safety of its citizens is endangered.
However, destroying of the cross-border roads would mark a major blow to decades of work towards a peaceful unification of the two countries. Earlier, in January, Kim Jong Un had ordered the revision of North Korea’s constitution to remove the goal of a peaceful Korean unification and formally designate South Korea as the country’s “invariable principal enemy” and define the North’s sovereign, territorial space.
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His order has stunned many of the North Korean watchers as he had shredded the long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North’s terms.
Experts say that Kim will aim to diminish South Korea’s voice in the regional nuclear stand-off and seek direct dealings with the US. And he might diminish South Korean cultural influence and bolster his rule at home, experts said.
