Satellite imagery has revealed that North Korea, after demolishing an inter-Korean road, has been extending military tactical roads and constructing new guard posts along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
KBS reported on October 17 that the fortification efforts near the border have been progressing rapidly, citing satellite images.
On the eastern front, where some of the fiercest battles occurred during the Korean War, North Korea’s tactical road runs parallel to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) within the North’s section of the DMZ. According to satellite images taken on October 13, the road has been extended by approximately 1 kilometer (approximately 0.6 miles) since August.
This activity has been observed in several locations along the MDL. In the Pyeonggang County area of North Korea’s Gangwon Province, construction of a new tactical road began earlier this year, with continued extensions and new guard posts recently appearing.
Near the heavily contested Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, the tactical road on the North Korean side has been extended by over 5 kilometers in a straight line since mid-August.
Jung Sung-hak, Director of the Video Analysis Center at the Korea Peninsula Security Strategy Research Institute, noted, “It appears that North Korean authorities are extending the tactical roads close to the MDL to forward-deploy their fences.”
In total, satellite imagery has identified 11 locations along the MDL where North Korean military activities have intensified over the past two months.
Experts believe these actions are a continuation of the “fortification” measures previously mentioned by North Korea’s General Staff and expect further expansions in the future.
Yang Wook, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told KBS, “The extension of these tactical roads allows for flexible connections between posts, enabling the free movement of troops and equipment. While they can be used for defensive purposes, they also have offensive potential.”
Concerns are growing that North Korea, which last year revived its rhetoric of “hostile states,” is accelerating its physical separation from South Korea.
Amid escalating tensions, on October 16, North Korean soldiers and civilians were also spotted installing coastal fences in Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province, as seen from South Korea’s Ganghwa County in Incheon.
BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]
