SEOUL — North Korea has expanded its dismantling of inter-Korean railway infrastructure to the Gyeongui line, which connects the military demarcation line to the North Korean border city of Kaesong. This move, detected by Seoul's defense ministry on Thursday, is part of Pyongyang's efforts to eliminate routes that once symbolized inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, North Korea has been removing ties and rails on the northern side of the Gyeongui line since late June. This action follows instructions from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in January to take "strict" measures to block all channels of inter-Korean communication along the border to an "irretrievable level."
In recent months, North Korea has installed mines and removed street lamps along the Gyeongui road, which connects South Korea's western border city of Paju to Kaesong, and the Donghae road along the east coast. Last month, the national spy agency detected signs of North Korea demolishing sections of the Donghae railway. Additionally, North Korea has deployed large numbers of troops in front-line areas since April to conduct activities such as planting mines, erecting walls, and building roads for military operations.
The dismantling of these routes comes after the 2019 no-deal Hanoi summit between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim had agreed to connect and modernize the two railways during their summit at Panmunjom in April 2018, but the project has effectively stalled since then.