In the aftermath of North Korea accusing South Korea of unmanned drones flying over Pyongyang, tensions are escalating. The South Korean government stated on Monday (October 14) that North Korea is preparing to destroy the cross-border roads with South Korea.
According to Reuters, a South Korean military spokesperson said that North Korean troops are deploying on both sides of the roads along the western and eastern coasts, with the earliest possible detonation action on Monday to destroy the railways and roads connecting North Korea and South Korea.
North Korea’s Central News Agency reported that the North Korean military announced last week that they will completely sever the roads and railways connecting South Korea and will strengthen military presence along the North Korean border.
Furthermore, North Korea accused South Korea last Friday (October 11) of dispatching drones over Pyongyang to drop “a large number” of anti-North Korea leaflets, calling it a political and military provocation that could lead to armed conflict.
Over the weekend, North Korea issued a further statement warning that if South Korean drones are detected flying over Pyongyang again, the consequences would be unimaginable. On Sunday, North Korea stated that eight fully armed artillery units have been deployed at the border, ready for immediate conflict.
On Monday, Colonel Lee Sung-jun, spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, refused to answer whether the drones were launched by the military or civilian entities.
The South Korean military explained that they are avoiding answering the question of who flew the drones to prevent being drawn into a potential conflict instigated by North Korea.
Colonel Lee mentioned that since five North Korean drones entered South Korean airspace in 2022, South Korea has been enhancing its anti-drone defense. At that time, the North Korean drones flew over Seoul for hours.
Lee Kyoung-haing, a military drone operations expert at Jungwon University in South Korea, stated that civilians obtaining drones with a range of 300 kilometers is not difficult, a distance sufficient to travel between Seoul and Pyongyang, with drones capable of carrying leaflets and other light payloads.
On Sunday, the North Korean National Defense Commission stated that in early this month, drones were detected over Pyongyang for three days, claiming that these drones require special launching pads or runways and cannot be launched by civilian groups.
Since the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, Korea has been divided into North and South without signing a peace treaty. In 2018, the leaders of both Koreas signed the September 19 Military Agreement, declaring the beginning of a peaceful era.
However, on November 22 last year, after North Korea claimed to have launched a spy satellite into orbit, South Korea immediately announced the suspension of a portion of the 2018 military agreement and resumed border surveillance operations. North Korea stated that they would completely annul the agreement and deploy more armed forces and advanced weapons along the border.