South Korea-North Korea Border: Pyongyang's Renewed Military Posts
In a turn of events, North Korea has commenced rebuilding military outposts on the border with South Korea, as reported by the South Korean military. The suspicious activity involves the deployment of armed soldiers and equipment, detailed by an army official to AFP news agency, accompanied by a picture exhibiting four North Korean soldiers erecting a wooden guard post in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two countries.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency disclosed information from the army, suggesting that all eleven abolished posts, resulted from the agreement, would be reinstated. In anticipation, Pyongyang had announced its intention to station "advanced armed forces" and "innovative military hardware" on the shared Korean border.
Last Wednesday, South Korea decided to partially suspend the 2018 military agreement and resumed patrols along the border. This move was instigated by North Korea's successful launch onto space last week, following two previous failures.
During his visit to the space control centre in Pyongyang on Monday, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, praised the preparations for the satellite's reconnaissance mission, due to inaugurate on December 1. According to the state news agency KCNA, this venture was met with vehement opposition from both the United States and South Korea, who fear the launch could destabilize the region.
Contextual Insights:
- North Korea's Response: North Korea's response to the suspension of the 2018 military agreement is to reconstruct military outposts that had been deemed superfluous under the agreement.
- Recent Aggravations: North Korea's ramped-up military activities, including spying satellite launches, military equipment deployments, and the resuscitation of military outposts, have stoked apprehensions among neighbouring countries, primarily South Korea.
- Agreement Violation: Reinstalling military outposts and potentially introducing new types of equipment on the border may contravene the 2018 military agreement, introducing further discord between North and South Korea.
The reestablishment of military outposts and the potential inclusion of new types of weaponry on the border pose a risk of breaching the 2018 military agreement, potentially igniting fresh conflict between the two nations.
