On October 15, North Korea detonated sections of the rail connections between North and South Korea, specifically the Gyeongui and Donghae lines. In response, South Korean forces conducted retaliatory fire south of the military demarcation line, asserting their right to self-defense, and issued broadcasts demanding North Korea cease such actions. This incident has heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The explosion occurred around noon local time on the 15th, with South Korean military officials reporting that the blast’s location was just 10 meters (approximately 32.8 feet) from the military demarcation line (MDL) and was executed without prior notice, clearly breaching the armistice agreement. In retaliation, South Korean forces fired dozens of rounds using machine guns and grenade launchers in an area 100 meters (about 328 feet) south of the MDL, targeting the Gyeongui and Donghae lines.
According to South Korean military intelligence, North Korea had dug dozens of tunnels along the railway routes and buried an estimated several tons of explosives. While portions of the two routes were destroyed, the scale of the explosion was smaller than anticipated, suggesting that North Korea might have aimed merely to demonstrate their capability to obstruct traffic.
The Gyeongui line connects South Korea’s western border city of Paju to North Korea’s Kaesong, providing a direct route from Seoul to Pyongyang, while the Donghae line runs along the eastern coast. On October 9, North Korea had announced via state media that it would completely sever land traffic between the two Koreas to reinforce its defensive posture, effectively eliminating ground connectivity which included the two rail lines and other vital routes.
In a statement, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification emphasized that the Gyeongui and Donghae railways were significant collaborative projects initiated after the 2000 inter-Korean summit. The South Korean government had lent North Korea $132.9 million in materials and equipment at North Korea’s request to connect these routes. The ministry insisted that North Korea still has an obligation to repay the loan and must take full responsibility for the destruction.
The statement further pointed out that North Korea had previously destroyed the inter-Korean liaison office following accusations against defector groups from the South of distributing anti-North Korean leaflets, marking a continuation of “regressive behavior.”
Recently, tensions have escalated, with North Korea accusing South Korea of deploying drones over Pyongyang to disseminate so-called “provocative rumors.” North Korea warned that any sightings of such drones would be interpreted as acts of war, instructing border troops to be in a state of readiness to shoot down any drones from the South.
On October 14, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a high-level national security meeting where officials reported on what they termed “serious provocations” from the enemy, directing a plan for “immediate military action.”
The South Korean military has initially denied that their government authorized drone operations, speculating instead that they may have been conducted by civil activist groups, who have historically sent propaganda balloons northward.
In light of the escalating situation, Russian Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that the treaty signed between Russia and North Korea in June outlines mutual assistance in the event of aggression by any side, reinforcing their strategic cooperation across various domains, including security.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula run counter to the shared interests of all parties involved, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent further escalation of the situation.
