In a symbolic act of defiance, North Korea on Tuesday destroyed the northern sections of unused road and rail routes that once connected it to South Korea. This action came just days after North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over its capital, Pyongyang, leading to an exchange of threats between the two nations.
This carefully staged demolition highlights North Korea’s increasing hostility towards South Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to sever ties with South Korea and abandon the goal of peaceful Korean reunification.
Experts believe that it’s unlikely Kim will initiate a large-scale preemptive attack on South Korea, fearing the inevitable massive retaliation from the superior forces of the United States and South Korea, which could threaten Pyongyang’s survival.
In response to the explosions, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that their military fired warning shots within the southern sections of the border. This action was taken to bolster their preparedness and surveillance posture. While the statement didn’t provide specifics, it could have been an attempt to prevent any cross-border fire from North Korea.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry, responsible for dealing with North Korea, condemned the North’s detonations as an “extremely abnormal” and “regressive” action, violating prior inter-Korean agreements.
Footage released by South Korea’s military showcased a cloud of white and gray smoke rising from the explosion at a road near the western border town of Kaesong. North Korean trucks and excavators were observed clearing the debris. Another video captured smoke emerging from a coastal road near the eastern border.
During a period of improved relations between the two Koreas in the 2000s, they reconnected two pairs of road and rail links across their heavily fortified border. One pair, known as the Gyeongui Line, was located in the western portion, while the other, called the Donghae Line, was situated in the eastern part. However, their operations were subsequently suspended as tensions rose over North Korea’s nuclear program and other issues.
Parts of the road route on the Gyeongui Line and portions of both road and rail routes on the Donghae Line were destroyed on Tuesday. According to South Korea’s military, North Korea had already removed ties and rails from the northern side of the Gyeongui Line’s rail track.
North Korea has a history of using the staged destruction of facilities within its own territory as a political tool.
In 2020, North Korea demolished an empty, South Korean-built liaison office building just north of the border in retaliation for South Korean civilian leafleting campaigns. In 2018, North Korea destroyed tunnels at its nuclear testing site at the beginning of nuclear diplomacy with the United States. In 2008, North Korea blew up a cooling tower at its main nuclear complex while earlier disarmament-for-aid negotiations with Washington and other nations were underway.
Destroying the road and rail links, primarily built with South Korean funds, aligns with leader Kim Jong Un’s directive from January to abandon the goal of peaceful Korean unification and formally designate South Korea as the country’s “permanent principal enemy.” This order surprised many outside North Korea watchers as it appeared to deviate from his predecessors’ long-held ambition of peacefully unifying the Korean Peninsula on North Korea’s terms.
Experts suggest that Kim likely aims to diminish South Korea’s influence in the regional nuclear standoff and pursue direct negotiations with the United States. Kim may also be hoping to reduce South Korean cultural influence and solidify his family’s dynastic rule at home.
North Korea has accused South Korea of sending drones three times this month to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang and threatened to respond with force if it happens again. South Korea has declined to confirm whether it sent drones but warned that North Korea would face the end of its regime if the safety of South Korean citizens is threatened.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, stated on Tuesday that North Korea has obtained unspecified clear evidence that South Korean “military gangsters” are behind the alleged drone flights. She warned that South Korea “will have to pay a dear price.”
North Korea’s state media reported on Tuesday that Kim Jong Un outlined unspecified tasks related to “immediate military action” and the operation of his war deterrent during a meeting on Monday. North Korea’s military earlier threatened to turn South Korea into “piles of ashes,” stating that its frontline army units were prepared to open fire.
The South Korean Unification Ministry stated that the cross-border roads and rail links were built using South Korean materials and equipment worth $132.9 million provided in the form of loans, and North Korea is still obligated to repay this aid.
Last week, North Korea declared that it would permanently seal its border with South Korea and construct front-line defense structures. South Korean officials revealed that North Korea had been adding anti-tank barriers and laying mines along the border since earlier this year.
In recent years, North Korea has conducted a series of provocative missile tests, while South Korea and its allies have expanded military exercises and cooperation.