It has been revealed that North Korea laid mines and covered them with soil south of the Kaesong Industrial Complex earlier this year. The mine-laying is reported to have taken place around the beginning of this year.
A military official stated on the 25th, "North Korea carried out mine-laying and subsequent soil covering in the area below the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the past, and as far as we know, there are no barrier-type structures."
On the same day, the Voice of America (VOA) reported that North Korea installed barriers on the northern section of the Gyeongui Line road heading from Paju in the South to the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Based on photos taken last month by the civilian satellite service 'Planet Labs,' it was identified that 3 to 4 walls were erected at 15-meter intervals on the North Korean side of the Gyeongui Line section. However, the military analyzed that the structures in question are not barriers.
Nonetheless, North Korea is installing barrier-like structures presumed to be anti-tank obstacles at several locations around the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Additionally, after Chairman Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean relations as a 'hostile two-state relationship' at the end of last year, North Korea has been erasing connections with South Korea. In January of this year, mines were laid on the Gyeongui and Donghae Line roads; in April, streetlights were removed; and in June and July, the Donghae Line and Gyeongui Line railways were dismantled, respectively. Furthermore, North Korea has shown signs of independently operating the industrial complex by constructing new buildings on South Korean company sites within the Kaesong Industrial Complex and repainting crosswalks. The South Korean government suspended operations of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in February 2016 in response to North Korea's fourth nuclear test and successive long-range missile launches.
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