Joint Chiefs of Staff says N. Korea already cut off inter-Korean roads in August

[Anchor]

Yesterday (10.9), North Korea declared 'fortification' construction in the area near the Demilitarized Zone, but it has been identified as having completely blocked land routes between the North and South since August.

Our military analyzes that the North is trying to prevent internal personnel from leaking out.

This is Song Geum-han reporting.

[Report]

On National Route 7 connecting the North and South, North Korean soldiers are removing streetlights while also dismantling the adjacent railway.

They are transporting guardrails, railway tracks, and sleepers that have been removed for reuse in the rear.

[Kim Myung-soo/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "This is the cutting and blocking operation of the Gyeongui Line. You can see that the tracks and sleepers have been completely removed overall."]

Since last December, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned 'hostile two countries,' mine laying and land route blocking operations have been actively carried out near the Military Demarcation Line.

In August, the Gyeongui Line train storage facility was also dismantled, and it has now turned into a barren field.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff has determined that the North completed all these land and railway blocking operations between the North and South in August.

The North mentioned 'self-defensive measures' while stating that it would carry out fortification construction with solid defensive structures.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff analyzed that North Korea's additional mine laying and the establishment of barriers in more than ten locations near the Military Demarcation Line are intended to create a so-called 'isolation line' to block external inflow and prevent internal personnel from escaping.

[Kim Myung-soo/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "The recent notification to the UN Command is a measure to secure legitimacy. Therefore, it is to create conflict among South Koreans and fundamentally express that their actions are justified..."]

The Ministry of Unification stated that the North, which informed the UN Command about the fortification, has not notified our side about the current situation, indicating an avoidance of contact with us in the context of the 'hostile two countries' relationship.

Additionally, it strongly condemned this 'fortification' declaration as an anti-unification and anti-national act.

This is KBS News, reporting by Song Geum-han.