A North Korean guard post seen from the border area of Gyeonggi Province [Newsis]
A North Korean guard post seen from the border area of Gyeonggi Province [Newsis]

North Korea has been observed conducting what appears to be fortification blasting near Kaesong, north of Ganghwado, NHK reported Monday.

The Japanese broadcaster said it filmed up to 50 workers carrying out consecutive blasting operations along the riverbank in an area south of Kaesong, separated from Ganghwado by the Jogang River, on Wednesday.

A Ganghwado resident in his 60s told NHK the blasting appeared to be moving gradually from east to west. "The distance is so close that the booming sound is incredibly loud," he said. "I've lived here for more than 60 years, but I've never seen anything like this."

NHK said the series of blasts north of Ganghwado appeared to be part of a plan to sever roads and railways connecting to South Korea and fortify the area with structures — a push that followed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's 2023 declaration that inter-Korean relations had become a relationship between "two hostile states."

KCNA reported in October 2024 that the Korean People's Army General Staff had announced a plan to completely cut off roads and railways connected to South Korea and fortify the area with solid defensive structures.


husn7@heraldcorp.com