South Korea says it has detected preparations by North Korea to blow up its sections of inter-Korean roads. Tensions have been soaring between the two countries in recent weeks.
South Korean officials said on Monday that they had gathered intelligence indicating that the North was preparing to demolish its half of roads that connect the two countries.
“They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads,” Lee Sung Joon, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.
He said the operation could take place as soon as Monday.
The move follows weeks of soaring tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has accused South Korea of using drones to drop propaganda leaflets over its territory three times, and threatened to respond with force if it happens again.
I suppose sealing the border may be related, as North Korea is also sending soldiers to Ukraine, and this happened at about the same time.
That being said, it’s also true that North Korea pretty regularly does attention-getting things, and I suppose that it’s not impossible that this is one of those.
This isn’t even that attention getting. North Korea has consistently stated over the past few years that they no longer entertain the idea of reunification.
Blowing up internal roads isn’t that provocative.