Seoul on alert as North Korea Insists ‘to blow up border roads’ amid drone row | Military News | The Round Table South Korea’s military has asserted it is “fully ready” to respond amid declares that North Korean troops have been deployed to the border and are getting ready to blow up roads connecting the two nations along the heavily militarised dividing line.
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Tensions have climbed in recent days as the nuclear-armed North alleged Seoul of flying drones over its capital to drop propaganda leaflets filled with “inflammatory rumours and rubbish”, and notified that if another drone was detected, it would consider it “a declaration of war”.
South Korean military spokesman Lee Sung-jun informed reporters in Seoul on Monday they are in “full readiness” against the possibility of “a provocation” after Pyongyang ordered artillery units along the border to open fire in case of an escalation.
South Korean state news agency Yonhap also quoted Lee as disclosing the military found that the North is installing screens along the roads “to make preparations for the explosions”.
“It is possible for [North Korea’s explosions] to take place as early as today [Monday],” he said. “If North Korea undertakes a provocation, we will strongly retaliate in terms of our right to self-defence.”
Seoul Korea neither corroborated nor contradicted on Monday that it was responsible for sending drones across the border, calling the North’s supposedly “shameless”.
Lee, its military spokesman, instead blamed Pyongyang for starting the tension after it launched “vulgar and vulgar trash balloons” to the South.
Previously, Seoul has disputed it was behind the drone flights, with local speculation centred on activist groups in the South, which have long sent propaganda and the currency of the United States, a close South Korean ally, northwards, typically by balloon.
But the North insists Seoul is officially to blame, adjudging late on Sunday it had announced to eight artillery brigades already on war footing “to get fully ready to open fire”, and reinforced air observation posts in Pyongyang.
Pyongyang claims propaganda drones have infiltrated the capital’s airspace three times in recent days, with leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister threatening a “horrible disaster” unless they stop.
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In a statement early on Monday, Kim Yo Jong disclosed the drone flights were “an unpardonable, malicious conflict to our state”.
As part of the North’s retaliatory action, it also seemed to be forming to carry out explosions at roads connected to the South, Seoul’s military said.
Last week, the North’s military proclaimed the measure will “completely separate” North Korea’s territory from the South.
The two Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war terminated in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The cross-border roads are remnants of periods of rapprochement between the countries, including a 2018 apex between the leaders when they asserted there would be no more war and an innovative era of peace had opened.
North Korea has reintroduced heavy weapons into the Demilitarized Zone border buffer and restored guard posts, after the two sides revealed a 2018 military harmony aimed at easing tensions no longer valid.
Regards to Al Jazeera
Category: World-News
Tag: Seoul on alert as North Korea Insists to blow up border roads amid drone row Military News The Round Table
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Published 10/14/2024