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North Korea has accused South Korea of sending drones into its capital, fueling tensions between the neighbors for months.
Drones have reportedly dropped leaflets on Pyongyang, something North Korea has described as a threat that could lead to war.
Following the accusations against South Korea on Friday, Pyongyang said it had ordered troops along the border to prepare for an attack.
South Korea, for its part, said it was ready to respond and warned that if the security of its people was threatened, it would mark the end of the era of North Korea.
On Tuesday, North Korea launched an attack that destroyed parts of some roads leading to South Korea.
These are the latest tensions between the neighbors that have reached a peak in years since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared in January that South Korea is his government’s best ally.
What is happening?
On October 11, the North Korean Foreign Ministry accused South Korea of sending drones to Pyongyang overnight for two weeks.
She said the documents dropped by the drones contained lies and nonsense.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, has warned Seoul of facing dire consequences if more drones enter the country.
She later said there was strong evidence that South Korea was involved in the incident.
North Korea has released rare images of what it says are drones flying in the sky as well as photos showing the documents but the claims could not be verified.
While South Korea initially denied sending drones to North Korea, its chief of staff later said they could neither confirm nor deny Pyongyang’s allegations.
There are rumors that some activists fly the planes that send these goods to North Korea using balloons.
Park Sang-hak, head of the Free North Korea coalition, denied North Korea’s claims of drone strikes, saying “We have not sent drones into North Korea”.
On Monday, Kim met with the military chief, top security chiefs, defense ministers and senior government officials, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA said.
There, Kim plans to take immediate military action. A senior South Korean official, Lee Sung-joon, said that North Korea could end the war by using explosives on the roads connecting the two Koreas.
Then there was the explosion that happened on Gyeongui and Donghae streets.
The prolonged closure of both roads sends a message that Kim is not ready to negotiate with South Korea, according to analysts.
After the explosions, South Korea’s military said it had fired weapons across its border in a show of force and was increasing its surveillance of North Korea.
Hours later, the government of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, designated 11 border areas as dangerous in an effort to prevent people from sending hate mail across the border.
“Gyeonggi Province said North Korea’s move to release documents is very dangerous and could lead to a military conflict,” Kim Sung-joong, deputy governor of Gyeonggi Province, said at a press conference.
The distribution of these documents may threaten the lives and security of our people”, said Kim, as the relationship between the two countries is further strained.
What does that mean?
Analysts say the drone issue shows that North Korea is gaining domestic support by appearing to pose a growing threat to the country.
Using words like separatist states like South Korea and throwing in other words is part of this strategy, said Professor Kang Dong-wan, who teaches political science and diplomacy at Dong-a University in Seoul. Busan.
“The North Korean government is based on the policy of teasing its neighbors and needs an outside enemy,” Professor Kang said.
“Every time tensions increase, North Korea puts the onus on another country to provide more support to the government.”
Analysts said that what is happening between the two countries shows how both countries are running away from showing failure.
“Neither side wants to back down now,” said Professor Kim Dong-yup from the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
Due to the lack of mutual understanding, Seoul needs to look at how to manage the crisis”, as Professor Kim explained.
Is Korea approaching war?
Analysts say not now.
“I don’t think the situation will deteriorate to the level of war. North Korea is following the trend of coming out to strengthen its power at home,” said Professor Kang.
“I have doubts about North Korea’s ability to face a major war. The government is well aware of the consequences of such a war,” said Professor Kim.
“The recent spat over the alleged deployment of drones will continue to be a Cold War capability,” said Professor Nam Sung-wook, who teaches at the university.
Because Seoul and Pyongyang know that they do not want to fight a stand-off war, as Professor Nam said, “there is no possibility of using nuclear weapons”.
What is their relationship with foreign countries?
The two Koreas are still at loggerheads since they did not sign a peace treaty when the Korean War ended in 1953.
Kim has made North Korea closer to Russia under Vladmir Putin, which has made the country feel bad for the US and the West, who are South Korea’s allies.
Also, an important factor is the long-standing relationship between North Korea and China.
On the issue of the dispute over drones, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on the parties to avoid dirtying the conflict.
Tensions are rising in both countries as the US campaign draws to a close.
