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Joint Chiefs of Staff Releases Update on Recent North Korean Military Activity(Seoul=Yonhap) The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a briefing distributed to the media on the 23rd that North Korea has been strengthening security around the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) while continuing preparations to launch balloons toward the South. The photo shows North Korean troops installing wire fencing in a front-line area. 2024.12.23 [Provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Resale and DB prohibited] photo@yna.co.kr(Seoul=Yonhap) The Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a briefing distributed to the media on the 23rd that North Korea has been strengthening security around the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) while continuing preparations to launch balloons toward the South. The photo shows North Korean troops installing wire fencing in a front-line area. 2024.12.23 [Provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Resale and DB prohibited] photo@yna.co.kr
North Korea has not crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) so far this year, South Korean officials said, a sharp contrast to last year when Pyongyang made 17 incursions south of the line. After Kim Jong Un declared inter-Korean relations to be those of “two hostile states” at the end of 2023, border-fortification efforts near the MDL entered their final phase. As front-line clearing and land-preparation operations tapered off, the number of crossings declined.Last year, South Korean forces used warning broadcasts and warning shots to expel North Korean troops who had crossed the MDL in Gangwon Province (Goseong, Hwacheon, Cheorwon) and Gyeonggi Province (Yeoncheon). Officials said no such removal operations have been required this year because incursions have not occurred.Beginning in April 2024, following Kim’s December 2023 declaration, North Korea conducted clearing and land-preparation near the MDL, built tactical roads and installed wire barriers. The clearing process involves removing undergrowth to open lines of sight, leveling terrain, laying tactical roads and emplacing mines. During clearing operations in 2024 and 2025, North Korean forces crossed the MDL several times; officials said dense vegetation and the loss of boundary markers made the line difficult to identify visually.After finishing clearance in an area, North Korea has laid tactical roads and erected wire fencing. Authorities estimate the daily workforce on those projects reached roughly 3,000 to 5,000 personnel.The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military is closely monitoring North Korean activity around the MDL and is managing the security situation while maintaining a firm readiness posture. #NorthKorea #NorthKoreanArmy #MDL #BorderFortification #TwoHostileStates #ClearingOperations #JointChiefsOfStaff #InterKoreanRelations Yonhap News TV inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23 Mina Kim (goldmina@yna.co.kr)
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