North Korea paves border with landmines
Relations between North and South Korea are at a Low Point. Kim Jong Un is currently strengthening the border and is using landmines for this purpose. The working conditions are reportedly fatal.
According to reports from Seoul, North Korea has laid thousands of new landmines along the border with South Korea in recent months. North Korean soldiers had to lay mines "despite pressing heat and the monsoon season" and build fences, explained the Defense Ministry in Seoul. The number of mines is estimated to be "in the tens of thousands."
During the work to further secure the border, there were reportedly at least ten explosions. These had led to "numerous casualties" among the soldiers. A photo released by the ministry shows North Korean soldiers carrying a wounded comrade on a stretcher, in another photo, soldiers apparently carry wooden crates, in which, according to the ministry in Seoul, landmines are located.
During the border security work, the North Korean soldiers were reportedly housed in "inadequate" barracks and had to work an average of 12 to 13 hours a day. Weekends or leave had not been given to them. South Korea is preparing for the possibility that North Korean soldiers will try to cross the border into the South due to the harsh working conditions.
Relations between North and South Korea are currently at a low point. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has declared South Korea the "main enemy" of Pyongyang and announced the development of weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons. In response, South Korea and the USA have strengthened their defense cooperation.
In the past few weeks, South Korea has reacted strongly to hundreds of balloons filled with trash that Pyongyang sent over the border. They contained items such as cigarette butts, plastic, animal waste, and toilet paper. South Korean activists then sent balloons with leaflets and USB sticks over the border into the neighboring country.
Despite the hostile political climate, South Korea is concerned about the welfare of North Korean soldiers working under harsh conditions to fortify the border. Reports suggest that Kim Jong Un's orders for strengthening the border with landmines have resulted in numerous casualties and grueling working hours for the North Korean soldiers.
