Orden de Fortalecimiento de Defensas
North Korea has reportedly ordered frontline troops to further strengthen defenses along its border with the South, including by ramping up mine-laying operations, according to a new report. The report from South Korean news outlet Daily NK, citing a source in the communist country’s eastern border province of Gangwon, comes amid already tense inter-Korean relations. Pyongyang plans to deploy a total of 12,000 troops to aid its Russian ally in the war against Ukraine, as stated by Seoul last week, claiming that around 1,500 are already in Russia’s Far East. North Korea has denied these claims.
Instrucciones de la Ministra de Defensa
North Korea’s defense ministry has issued an order to two Korean People’s Army corps, both frontline units stationed on the eastern front, according to the anonymous source. “Let us steadfastly defend the southern border of our country and inscribe a legacy of countless victories,” read the order. This directive was reportedly issued on Friday, a day after North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament amended the constitution to label Seoul as a “hostile state,” fulfilling a directive voiced by Kim Jong Un earlier this year.
Operaciones de Minado y Refuerzo de Infraestructura
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to an October 23 report from the state-run Korean Central News Agency, has ordered additional mine-laying operations along the border with the South in anticipation of military exercises set for December. The report also follows the destruction of sections of road and track on the western Gyeongui and eastern Donghae rail lines near the heavily militarized border last week, which is part of the regime’s systematic eradication of symbols of unification with the South. State media cited the country’s military leadership as stating that the destroyed infrastructure would be replaced with fortifications.
The order from Friday referenced the demolition work and directed the 1st and 5th corps to “build a fortified defense network” to further solidify territorial separation from the South, according to the source. As part of this process, the ministry also reportedly directed army engineers to randomly deploy mines along the border, with a completion goal set ahead of drills scheduled to begin on December 1.
Respuesta y Tensión en la Región
“The Ministry of Defense has consistently stressed that the corps executing this order must understand the context of why such a move is necessary, and its main purpose is to maximize defense capabilities against possible conflict with hostile countries,” the source added.
North Korea has been engaged in mine-laying activities this year within the Demilitarized Zone, which is a 160-mile buffer area along both sides of the border, despite a series of accidents. In July, South Korean officials reported that at least ten incidents had occurred, resulting in multiple deaths. The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, which signed a military cooperation agreement with Kim in June, has further exacerbated North-South tensions.
On Monday, Pyongyang dismissed the South’s reports of Northern troops in Russia as “groundless.” The Kremlin has been noncommittal but stated that its ties with the North are within the bounds of international law and do “not run counter” to Seoul’s security interests. Meanwhile, the U.S. has expressed concerns but has not confirmed reports of Northern troops in Russia, stating that the development, if true, would be “serious.” South Korea is reportedly considering a significant policy shift, with Yonhap News citing a senior official in President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration, suggesting that the option of providing Ukraine with “weapons for defense and attack” remains on the table. This would represent a shift from South Korea’s current approach of indirectly supplying arms through third countries such as the United States.
Fuente y créditos: www.newsweek.com
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