"Four Suspected Anti-Tank Barrier Structures Under Construction Along the DMZ Northern Limit Line"
Recently, an accident occurred in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where multiple North Korean soldiers were injured or killed due to a landmine explosion while working.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff official stated at a press briefing on the 18th, "Despite multiple casualties caused by repeated landmine explosions during the creation of barren land and landmine operations in the frontline area, it appears that the North Korean military is recklessly continuing work in the DMZ."
It has been confirmed that North Korea recently constructed concrete barriers along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Military authorities are closely monitoring whether North Korea intends to build a massive wall stretching 248 km east to west along the armistice line.
The official said, "Since April, North Korea has deployed troops in some areas between the Northern Limit Line (2 km north of the MDL) to carry out barren land creation, landmine planting, tactical road reinforcement, and work presumed to be anti-tank barriers."
North Korea has erected concrete barriers at four locations in the front. One of these is over 200 meters long. If North Korea builds a massive wall along the armistice line, it could symbolize the advent of a 'new Cold War' sprouting from the confrontation between China, Russia, and the United States, becoming a 'second Berlin Wall.'
Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, defined inter-Korean relations at the end of last year not as 'kin' but as 'warring belligerents.' In his State of the Supreme People's Assembly address in January, he declared the severance of relations, stating, "Step-by-step measures must be implemented to thoroughly separate the conditions for inter-Korean connection in border areas." North Korea’s beginning to build barriers in addition to the military demarcation line fence is interpreted as an intention to physically formalize this 'anti-unification' directive beyond declarative meaning. Intelligence authorities also view the incident on the 9th, when 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers armed with pickaxes and shovels crossed the MDL in the Yeoncheon area of Gyeonggi Province but retreated after warning shots from South Korean forces, as part of the barrier construction work.
Our military assesses that North Korea has suffered multiple casualties due to landmine explosions while planting mines in the frontline area. There is also speculation that internal unrest in North Korea is significant enough that Kim Jong-un feels the need to control the border by building walls.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, "Considering North Korea’s current weather, labor force, and material supply situation, the work area is likely to expand gradually," adding, "We are closely cooperating with the United Nations Command to prepare for any accidental situations in the frontline area."
Military authorities evaluate that the barriers North Korean forces are constructing in some parts of the northern boundary of the DMZ are not walls serving as border lines but rather anti-tank obstacles. The structures presumed to be anti-tank barriers are being built 4 to 5 meters high at four northern gates that serve as entry points to the DMZ. The width of the barriers ranges from several tens of meters to several hundreds of meters in length.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff official assessed, "Continuous analysis is necessary regarding the connection with activities aimed at turning the MDL into a so-called border line," and added, "While there is a possibility of the MDL becoming a border line, it is difficult to conclude this at the present time."
The official explained recent North Korean military activities, saying, "They also appear to be measures to strengthen internal control, such as blocking the defection and escape of North Korean soldiers and residents," and added, "They are planting landmines in areas where defectors have occurred in the past and carrying out barren land creation to improve observation ease."
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