Jul 17. (EUROPA PRESS) –
South Korean authorities on Wednesday accused North Korea of placing “thousands” of anti-personnel mines on their common border and stressed that North Korean troops have suffered casualties due to explosions recorded during the work to place the devices in recent weeks.
South Korea’s defence ministry said the mines were placed in the northern part of the Demilitarised Zone, which serves as a common border, and noted that at least ten explosions have been recorded in recent weeks.
“Despite the heat wave and monsoon season, the North Korean army has continued its work, including laying mines,” he said, adding that soldiers “live in poor conditions in prefabricated tents and work 12 to 13 hours a day, without holidays or shift changes.”
In this regard, he said that Seoul has prepared for “possible defections” due to the situation, before adding that Pyongyang has also continued with its work to raise separation fences in the border areas, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
In recent weeks, bilateral tensions have escalated, including the exchange of propaganda balloons and rubbish. Seoul has also resumed broadcasting propaganda via loudspeakers at the border, which it did for the first time in six years on 9 June, while it has also restarted live-fire exercises near the common border.
North Korean authorities have also stepped up their launches of ballistic missiles and other projectiles, in what they describe as a warning against Seoul’s actions and its joint maneuvers with the United States. The two countries are still technically at war, since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice, with no peace agreement to date.
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