Provocations or a real challenge: why did the DPRK blow up roads to South Korea

Provocations or a real challenge: why the DPRK blew up roads to South Korea Dzvenislava Moshovskaya

On October 15, the DPRK blew up part of the roads that connect it with South Korea. This could affect the difficult relations between the countries.

Korea expert Nikolai Polischuk told Channel 24 that North Korea's actions may contribute more to propaganda than to aggravating the situation. The DPRK is stepping up its rhetoric against South Korea through military maneuvers it holds there.

Blowing Up Roads

Nikolay Polischuk explained that the roads between the DPRK and South Korea run through the mountains. They are mined on both sides.

You can often see that the roads run through a deep gorge, and on top there are huge concrete blocks that, in the event of military action, should be blown up and block all the roads, – said the Korea expert.

He believes that there is no strategic goal in this detonation, since there are no roads between North and South Korea.

Interesting. Earlier, on October 14, Kim Jong-un's sister said that South Korea will face a “terrible catastrophe” if its troops do not stop maneuvering drones over the DPRK. Seoul said that North Korea plans to blow up roads between the countries.

The only place where you can cross from one country to another is the Panmunjom area. There is a demarcation line there, which is neutral territory for negotiations between both sides.

It seems that nothing was blown up there. That is, this event most likely has a propaganda value rather than a military one, – said Polischuk.

North Korea has blown things up before. Therefore, her actions probably do not indicate any military escalation between the DPRK and South Korea, since those roads were not of great importance.