Recent satellite images show how the North Korea is engaged in building sections of what appears to be a real wall in several areas along the border with South Korea, within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). According to BBC, this activity may represent a violation of the truce that ended the Korean War (1950-1953).
What is the DMZ
The DMZ, established under the armistice agreement, is a buffer zone up to 4 kilometers wide that separates the two Koreas along the 38th parallel. Technically, both nations are still at war, having never signed a peace treaty. The zone is divided in two, with each part controlled by its respective country. However, Pyongyang’s recent activities are considered anomalous and worrying by experts.
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Growing motivations and tensions
The wall construction operations coincide with a period of growing tensions between the two Koreas. North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, recently changed the country’s constitution, defining the South as the “nation’s main enemy”, ending hopes of future reunification. The motivations behind the wall’s construction remain to be clarified. The most accepted hypothesis is that North Korea is trying to strengthen its military presence in the area. Supporting this theory is the increase in the number of troops deployed in the border areas since April. These troops would be employed in several reinforcement activities, including laying mines, building anti-tank barriers, and improving roads to facilitate military movements.
