PYONGYANG: North Korea’s state media has not reported on the country’s recent explosion of inter-Korean roads, a significant move that severed further the already tenuous connections with South Korea. This uncharacteristic silence follows the destruction of parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which occurred on Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the North’s main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which broadcasts to international audiences, have both refrained from covering the event. This is a marked departure from previous practices where significant actions such as these were promptly reported. In June 2020, for example, both media outlets quickly disseminated news about the demolition of a joint liaison office in the border city of Kaesong.
The recent road explosions align with statements from North Korea’s military about cutting all roads and railways linked to South Korea and constructing defense structures a
long the front lines. These actions underscore the directives from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who has increasingly described South Korea as a hostile state and dismissed any potential for reconciliation or unification.
In December, at a party meeting, Kim Jong-un explicitly referred to South Korea as an enemy state and dismissed the pursuit of reconciliation. Additionally, in January, he emphasized the need to irreversibly sever transportation links with South Korea, a stance that has now manifested in the physical destruction of infrastructure once symbolic of inter-Korean cooperation.