INTER-KOREAN ROAD EXPLOSION ESCALATES TENSIONS

North Korea called South Korea a “hostile state” and blasted sections of unused road and rail routes that once linked it with the South after Pyongyang claimed that Seoul flew drones carrying propaganda leaflets over its capital city.
By destroying 66-yard (60-meter) long stretches of road and rail links along the inter-Korean border, the North’s side is now completely blocked “as part of the phased complete separation” from South Korea.
North Korean state media cited a Ministry of Defense spokesman vowing to take further measures to “permanently fortify” the border, though no further detail has been provided yet.
South Korea’s military fired warning shots within southern sections of the border in response.

NORTH KOREA PUNISHES FLOOD SURVIVORS FOR NEGLECTING LEADERS’ PORTRAITS

North Korean authorities have been investigating flood victims and punishing those who failed to rescue portraits of the country’s leaders when they escaped their destroyed homes.
Citizens who lost their party membership cards in the disaster are also being penalized as membership in the party is seen as a great honor and confers special privileges in securing housing, schools and jobs.
The prioritization of the leaders’ portraits over personal safety has long been emphasized, as damaging the same can result in severe punishment.
A resident from the northern province of Chagang told Radio Free Asia that a flood damage investigation group has been inquiring into what flood survivors have in their possession, and those who did not know the purpose of the survey “couldn’t have imagined that their honest account of the situation could be used against them, causing great misfortune.”

A North Korean defector was recently arrested and detained by South Korean police after attempting to cross the heavily militarized border at Tongil Bridge back to the North on a stolen bus.
The man in his 30’s tried to drive through a barricade despite soldiers guarding the bridge issuing warnings for him to stop.
Paju police referred the case to provincial police authorities and revealed that the man defected more than a decade ago but was planning to return to North Korea after struggling to settle in the South.
The defector was not found to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident, but had told police that he had accumulated several unpaid fines which he likely could not pay off while working as a day laborer in Paju and other cities.
South Korea’s law prohibits citizens, including defectors, from entering the North without government authorization and offenders may be jailed up to ten years if convicted.

12,000 to 15,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to help fight the war in Ukraine as Moscow and Pyongyang deepen their military ties.
According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, North Korea has shipped 1,500 special forces fighters on seven Russian ships to areas deep in Russia’s far east for training earlier this month and “are expected to be deployed to the front lines once their adaptation training is completed.”
North Korean soldiers were issued forged identification documents of Siberian nationals due to their similar appearances to disguise themselves as Russian soldiers and hide their involvements on the battlefield.
This recent intervention marks the first time that the DPRK has participated in a major war in an international war.
It is reported that 18 North Korean soldiers have deserted their positions in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk oblasts near the Ukrainian border to date.