SEOUL: North Korea’s state media has not reported on the recent explosion of inter-Korean roads, a stark contrast to its previously vocal announcements of severing ties with South Korea. The destruction, which involved parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line, occurred on Tuesday without any coverage by North Korean media outlets such as the Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this silence is unusual given the North’s history of promptly publicizing acts meant to signal a break from South Korea. In June 2020, for example, the demolition of a joint liaison office in Kaesong was immediately reported by KCNA and the following day by the Rodong Sinmun. The recent road explosions align with North Korea’s threats to cut all road and railway links to South Korea, announced at a military meeting, where it was declared that the North would fortify its front-line defenses to completely isolate its territory from the South.
The destru
ction of these roads follows a declaration by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a party meeting in December, where he described South-North relations as being between “two states hostile to each other,” negating any pursuit of reconciliation or unification. This was further emphasized in January when Kim Jong-un called for the railway tracks connecting the two Koreas to be irreversibly severed.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s state media has been actively reporting on alleged South Korean drone incursions, which it claims are acts of provocation. The Rodong Sinmun noted that around 1.4 million youths and students have signed up this week to join the Korean People’s Army, driven by a resolve to “annihilate” South Korea in response to these perceived violations of sovereignty.
North Korea also alleged that South Korean drones carrying anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets were detected over Pyongyang, threatening a forceful response to any future occurrences. In line with these threats, North Korea’s military has re
portedly ordered its artillery units to be prepared to strike.