Conflicts
North Korea may build walls within buffer zone
A North Korean soldier in front of a building complex on the South Korean side of the border in the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Photo
© Dita Alangkara/AP/dpa
There are reports of unusual construction work by the North Korean military within the buffer zone with South Korea. Is North Korea possibly building walls or a single long wall?
The public broadcaster KBS also reported such observations, citing a South Korean government official. Walls are being built simultaneously in places in the eastern, central and western parts of the buffer zone, the report said. According to Yonhap, the work could also be an indication that North Korea is planning a long wall or simply wants to erect protective structures in certain places.
The Defense Ministry in Seoul did not initially confirm the reports. There was no information from largely isolated North Korea itself.
The DMZ still forms the de facto border between the two countries, which have been at war under international law since the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. The buffer zone, around 240 kilometers long and four kilometers wide, was set up across the Korean peninsula at the end of the war. The inner-Korean border is heavily fortified.
According to the General Staff in Seoul, South Korean border guards recently fired warning shots at the border after several North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line. The North Korean soldiers immediately withdrew. Tensions between the two sides have been increasing significantly for months.