North Korea blows up key road links to South Korea amid rising tensions, here’s all you need to know

A visitor walks by a map of railroad and road between two Koreas cities, South’s Munsan and North’s Kaesong, at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Why is this significant?

Although these roads had not been in use for years, their destruction is symbolically important. The two Koreas remain divided by one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders, but the act also highlight the North’s intent to distance itself further from the South. The explosions come at a time of heightened rhetoric and military threats from both sides.

During the period of inter-Korean détente in the 2000s, the two Koreas reopened two roadways and two railway lines across their heavily fortified border. However, their use was gradually halted as tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program and other issues escalated.

A TV screen reports North Korea has blown up parts of northern side of inter-Korean roads during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Video footage and South Korea’s response

Footage released by South Korea’s Defence Ministry showed the explosions and the deployment of heavy machinery by North Korea to further block access on its side of the military demarcation line. In response, South Korean forces opened gunfire south of the border and increased monitoring of the North’s military activities. South Korea has also maintained a high state of readiness in cooperation with US forces.

What sparked this action?

The explosions followed recent accusations from North Korea that South Korea had been flying propaganda-laden drones over Pyongyang. Pyongyang also expressed frustration over ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, calling them provocations. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scrapped his policy of seeking peaceful reunification with the South, describing the relationship as one between “two hostile nations.”

Barricades are placed near the Unification Bridge, which leads to the Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Is this part of a broader trend?

Yes. Since the start of 2024, North Korea has been fortifying its border with South Korea by laying land mines, building anti-tank traps, and removing other cross-border infrastructure. Tensions have also risen after Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons against the South, while South Korea’s president warned that any such attack would spell the end of the North Korean regime.

What’s next?

South Korean officials are closely monitoring the situation, and both sides have ramped up their rhetoric. With North Korea increasingly fortifying its border and cutting off connections, tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to escalate, raising concerns over the future of inter-Korean relations.

(With Inputs from Associated Press)

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