JCS Detects Signs of North Korea Preparing to Blow Up Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line

Installation of Road Barriers... Still Explosive Today
Possible Future Space Launch and Minor Provocations

North Korea, which declared the complete severance and fortification of the inter-Korean land routes, has been detected by our military surveillance equipment preparing to blow up the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line roads.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 14th, Lee Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained at a regular briefing, "It has been identified that they are installing barriers on the road and preparing to blow up the road behind them," adding, "It is possible that the explosion (by North Korea) could happen as early as today." He also stated, "Currently, North Korea may carry out showy explosions on the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line, launch space launch vehicles, or conduct small provocations to change the situation."

Small-scale provocations by North Korea include artillery fire near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. Regarding North Korea’s coastal artillery near the West Sea NLL, Lee said, "They occasionally open the gun ports for internal air purification," and that the gun openings are happening frequently, so they are being closely monitored. He added, "The military has issued training and guidelines to 'take action first, report later' and respond strongly," warning, "If North Korea provokes, we will strongly retaliate in self-defense."

Military, in case of North Korean provocation, 'Take action first, report later'

Earlier, on the 9th, the North Korean General Staff announced in a statement, "From the 9th, construction will proceed to completely sever the roads and railways connected to South Korea on our side and fortify them with solid defensive structures." They also added that a telephone notification was sent to the U.S. military to prevent accidental clashes.

On the same day, North Korea sent a notification through the UN Command-North Korean military communication line stating, "From October 9, construction will proceed to completely sever the east-west roads and railways connected to South Korea in our area near the southern border." They added, "Many personnel and heavy equipment from our side will be deployed for the construction, and demolition work is planned," and warned, "You must responsibly take necessary measures."

Preparing to sever roads and fortify

The demolition preparation activities detected by our military are interpreted as an intention to completely sever the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line roads and carry out fortification construction. Since the end of last year, North Korea has been laying mines around roads, removing streetlights, dismantling railways, and demolishing adjacent auxiliary buildings to sever the inter-Korean land routes. The inter-Korean connecting land routes include the Donghae Line and Gyeongui Line railways and roads, as well as the Hwaseolmari Hill and Joint Security Area (JSA) passages.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea scattered leaf mines near the Gyeongui Line road in November last year, laid mines on the Donghae Line in December, dismantled the Donghae Line road fence in March this year, and removed streetlights on the Gyeongui Line road in April. In May, they removed the Donghae Line railway rails and sleepers, dismantled streetlights on the Donghae Line road in June, removed the Gyeongui Line railway rails and sleepers in July, and dismantled the Gyeongui Line train depot in August.

On the 10th, Kim Myung-soo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed photos related to North Korea’s inter-Korean land route blocking work during the National Defense Committee’s audit at the National Assembly, stating, "The Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line were blocked in August," and added, "These movements had been monitored in advance."