JCS: "North Blows Up Inter-Korean Connecting Road... Subsequent Return Fire South of MDL" [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

180 Billion Won South Korean Budget Invested in Road and Railway Blasts
Land Connection Between South and North Korea Virtually Completely Severed

The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 15th that North Korea blew up the inter-Korean connecting roads of the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff conveyed in a text message sent to the Ministry of National Defense press corps on the same day, "North Korea blew up some sections north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on the inter-Korean connecting roads of the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line around noon today," adding, "Our military is strengthening surveillance and guard posture." The destruction of the inter-Korean connecting roads of the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line by North Korea is interpreted as an intention to completely sever the land route between the two Koreas and to fortify the area.

Earlier, the North Korean General Staff announced on the 9th through a press release that "Starting from the 9th, we will completely sever the roads and railways connected to South Korea on our side and proceed with construction to fortify the area with solid defensive structures."

They also added that they sent a telephone notification to the U.S. military to prevent accidental clashes related to this matter. On the same day, North Korea stated in a notification sent via the UN Command?North Korean military communication line, "Starting from October 9, we will carry out construction to completely sever the east-west roads and railways connected to South Korea along the southern border area on our side."

The Gyeongui Line is a railway with a total length of 499 km, starting from Seoul Station, passing through Goyang and Paju, and extending to Kaesong, Pyongyang, and Sinuiju in North Korea. It was opened by Japan in 1906. The Donghae Line, also known as the East Sea Northern Line, was opened in 1937 and connected the 180 km section between Yangyang and Wonsan, including the Kumgangsan area. The reconnection of the Gyeongui and Donghae railways, which had been severed due to the division of the Koreas, along with the land roads built alongside the railways, had been regarded as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. After the first inter-Korean summit between President Kim Dae-jung and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il in 2000, both Koreas agreed on connecting the Gyeongui and Donghae railways and roads, and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in September 2002.

Subsequently, due to incidents such as the killing of South Korean tourists at Kumgangsan, North Korea's nuclear tests, and missile provocations, inter-Korean relations experienced ups and downs, leaving the Gyeongui and Donghae Lines as symbolic entities only. During the Moon Jae-in administration in 2018, both Koreas agreed again on railway and road connection and modernization projects and held another groundbreaking ceremony, but operations never commenced due to continued North Korean provocations.

According to the government, the railway and land route connection projects for the Gyeongui and Donghae Lines were supported by in-kind loans from the South Korean government. The loan amount totaled approximately $132.9 million from 2002 to 2008, which is about 180 billion KRW at current exchange rates. Although these loans are nominally lent funds, North Korea has never repaid this money. Moreover, by unilaterally blowing up the infrastructure, North Korea irreversibly destroyed facilities built with South Korean public funds.

In April, when North Korea was removing streetlights from the Gyeongui and Donghae Line roads, the South Korean government emphasized that the railway and road connection projects were carried out with South Korean government loans and clearly stated, "North Korea has an obligation to repay." The unauthorized removal by North Korea of infrastructure funded by South Korea is similar to past cases such as the destruction of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the inter-Korean joint liaison office.

In June 2020, North Korea blew up the liaison office building constructed with South Korean funds, and before the statute of limitations for the damage claim expired in three years, the South Korean government filed a lawsuit in June last year at the Seoul Central District Court demanding 44.7 billion KRW in damages from North Korea.

Although there is no practical way to collect money from North Korea even if the government wins the lawsuit, the government explained that the lawsuit was filed to clearly assert that North Korea's destruction was a clear illegal act, a violation of inter-Korean agreements, and an infringement on the property rights of the South Korean government and its people. Since the Gyeongui and Donghae Line roads and railways were also funded by South Korean public funds and their destruction undermines the foundation of mutual respect and trust between the two Koreas, there is analysis that legal condemnation is possible, and thus there is speculation that the government may pursue litigation related to this matter.