In a big move that’s making things even more tense on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea blew up parts of roads and railways that connect it to South Korea. This happened on the northern side of the border, which separates the two countries.
According to South Korea’s military, the explosions happened around noon, and although no damage was reported on the South’s side of the border, South Korea fired warning shots across the line just to be safe.
This explosion is part of North Korea’s plan to cut off roads and railways with the South, which it promised last week. They also plan to strengthen their defenses along the border by placing landmines and barriers. The South’s military had already warned that something like this might happen after they saw North Korea using heavy equipment to work on the border.
Even though the Korean War ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty, the two countries are still technically at war.
The roads and railways that were blown up were once used for peace talks and cooperation, like when the leaders of both Koreas met in 2018 and promised to work toward peace. South Korea spent a lot of money, around 132 million dollars, to rebuild these links.
Things have been getting more heated between the two countries. North Korea recently accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang, the North’s capital. The North said the drones dropped leaflets that criticized the country, calling it a “provocation” that could lead to a conflict. South Korea has not yet confirmed whether they sent the drones.
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, met with military leaders on Monday to figure out how to respond to what they called an attack on their country’s sovereignty.
