North Korean soldiers have been laying landmines and barriers and creating wastelands on the border with the South for months despite accidents, South Korea’s military said on Wednesday (17).
North Korea’s military continued its work despite multiple casualties caused by about 10 accidents involving landmine explosions and heat-related illnesses, according to a statement provided by the Defense Ministry citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
Female soldiers have also been deployed for work in some areas, the ministry added.
At a meeting held the same day on North Korea’s “provocations,” South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said the military faces a “complex crisis” made even more complicated by unpredictable natural disasters, according to a separate statement released by the ministry.
Heavy rains hit Seoul and neighboring areas on Wednesday (17), with rain expected for North Korea, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
South Korea’s military was preparing to respond to the possibility of surprise water releases from the dam by the North during heavy rains and landmines being destroyed, the statement said.
It was also preparing for the possibility of North Korean soldiers defecting amid poor working conditions, as well as crossing the Military Demarcation Line that runs through the middle of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) while working, the statement added.
Last month, the South Korean military fired warning shots after several North Korean soldiers crossed the border and retreated after shots were fired.
While deadly clashes have occurred occasionally over the decades since open fighting between the countries ceased at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, the recent incidents mark a rare uptick in activity near the demarcation line.
Source: CNN Brasil

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