By Hyunsu Yim and Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea is on the point of blow up roads that cross the closely militarised border with South Korea, Seoul stated on Monday, amid an escalating disagreement after the North accused its rival of sending drones over its capital Pyongyang.
North Korean troops have been working underneath camouflage on the roads on its aspect of the border close to the west and east coasts which can be doubtless preparations to explode the roads, probably as early as on Monday, South Korea’s army spokesman stated.
Final week, North Korea’s Military stated it might fully minimize roads and railways linked to South Korea and fortify the areas on its aspect of the border, state media KCNA reported.
Individually, North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of sending drones to scatter a “big quantity” of anti-North leaflets over Pyongyang, in what it known as a political and army provocation that might result in armed battle.
Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the South’s Joint Chiefs of Workers, declined on Monday to reply questions over whether or not the South Korean army or civilians flew the drones.
In additional statements over the weekend, North Korea warned of a “horrible catastrophe” if South Korean drones have been once more discovered to be flying over Pyongyang. On Sunday, it stated it has put eight totally armed artillery models on the border “on standby to open fireplace.”
South Korea’s army has stated its refusal to reply questions on the drones is as a result of addressing what the North has alleged can be to get drawn right into a tactic by Pyongyang to manufacture excuses for provocations.
South Korea has sought to spice up its anti-drone defences since 2022, Lee stated, when 5 North Korean drones entered its airspace and flew over the capital Seoul for a number of hours.
Lee Kyoung-haing, an professional in army drone operations at Jungwon College, stated civilians would haven’t any bother getting drones with ranges of 300 km (186 miles), the spherical journey from the South to Pyongyang, with gentle payloads reminiscent of leaflets.
On Sunday, North Korea’s defence ministry stated the drones, which it stated have been detected over Pyongyang on three days earlier this month, have been the type that required a particular launcher or a runway and it was inconceivable a civilian group may launch them.
The 2 Koreas are nonetheless technically at struggle after their 1950-53 struggle resulted in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The cross-border hyperlinks are remnants of durations of rapprochement between the international locations together with a 2018 summit between the leaders once they declared there can be no extra struggle and a brand new period of peace had opened.
North Korea has reintroduced heavy weapons into the Demilitarized Zone border buffer and restored guard posts, after the 2 sides declared a 2018 army settlement geared toward easing tensions now not legitimate.