N. Korea begins installing barriers on Donghae Line after 'bombing show'

North Korea is reportedly in the process of installing structures to erect a concrete barrier on the Donghae Line, among the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line roads that it blew up with TNT explosives on October 15, according to South Korean military surveillance assets. The move is believed to be aimed at physically separating the two Koreas by removing a portion of the road bordering the truce line and then building a barrier in its place after the ‘bombing provocation.’

According to multiple government sources on Wednesday, the North, which earlier blew up the road along the Donghae line, cleaned up the debris shortly afterward and has been working on installing the structure in earnest since early this week. The structure appears to serve as a skeleton for a concrete barrier, and installation of the barrier, including pouring concrete, is expected to begin as soon as the structure is finalized, the sources said. In fact, The Dong-A Ilbo checked the site at the Unification Observatory in Goseong, Gangwon Province, on the day more than 100 North Korean soldiers and heavy equipment, including trucks and excavators, were seen mobilized at the site of the blast, presumably installed the structure.

When North Korea blew up the roads along the Gyeongui and Donghae lines on October 15, the South Korean military said, “It is believed that they will erect a concrete barrier at the spot where the roads were removed.” Now, the South Korean military believes that North Korea will soon begin installing structures also at the Gyeongui Line blast site after the Donghae Line site, a preliminary step toward building the barrier. “It is expected that all measures to completely block the road with the barrier will be finished within this year,” a South Korean government source said.


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com