North Korea has kept its promise to physically cut off bridges with the South. Pyongyang blew up sections of the border between the two Koreas with dynamite on Tuesday, October 15. In response, the South fired shots at the area of the explosion. The escalation has continued on the Korean peninsula since North Korea announced that it had detected South Korean drones dropping propaganda leaflets over the capital.
The image symbolises North Korea’s determination to abandon any plans for reunification. A few metres from the fence marking the separation between the Koreas, North Korean soldiers stand at a distance when suddenly a huge explosion sends a huge cloud of dust into the sky.
The videos released by Seoul bear witness to the meticulous process of destroying the roads that allowed people to cross the border during the short-lived upturns in inter-Korean relations. Now, neither side is working to de-escalate.
Despite warnings from Pyongyang, the South Korean military has responded with gunfire. According to North Korea, it was South Korea that lit the fuse. Since the beginning of the month, drones have flown over the North Korean capital three times to spread propaganda leaflets, according to Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader’s sister. She claims to have evidence of a military operation, which Seoul denies.
Anti-North Korea activists had promised to use this method, but the distance to reach the North Korean capital, as well as the content of the leaflets, argue instead for a military operation that would be a violation of the armistice agreement. Pyongyang has assured that a new drone incursion would be considered a declaration of war.