South Korea on alert as North ‘to blow up border roads’ amid drones dispute

Despite rumor that North Korean troops have been stationed at the border and are getting ready to blow up the roads connecting the two countries along the militarized dividing line, South Korea’s military has declared it is “fully prepared” to respond.

In recent days, tensions have gotten worse as Seoul is accused of flying drones over its capital to drop propaganda leaflets filled with “inflammatory rumours and rubbish” and warned that if another drone was discovered, Seoul would treat it as “a declaration of war” in the nuclear-armed North.

After Pyongyang ordered artillery units along the border to fire on in case of an escalation, South Korean military spokesman Lee Sung-jun told reporters in Seoul on Monday that they are “full readiness” against the possibility of “a provocation.”

Lee’s claim that the North is installing screens along the roads “to make preparations for the explosions” was also quoted by the South Korean state news agency Yonhap.

“It is possible for]North Korea’s explosions] to take place as early as today]Monday]”, he said. “If North Korea undertakes a provocation, we will strongly retaliate in terms of our right to self-defence”.

Seoul Korea called the North’s claim “shameless” on Monday, but it did not confirm or refute that it was to blame for the drones that were sent across the border.

Lee, its military spokesman, instead blamed Pyongyang for starting the tension after it launched “vulgar and base trash balloons” to the South.

Previously, Seoul has denied it was behind the drone flights, with local speculation centred on activist groups in the South, which have long sent propaganda and the currency of the United States, a close South Korean ally, northwards, typically by balloon.

The North insists that Seoul is actually to blame, announcing late on Sunday that it had instructed eight artillery brigades on war footing to “get fully ready to open fire” and that it had installed air observation posts in Pyongyang.

Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister threatens a “horrible disaster” unless they stop, according to Pyongyang, who claims propaganda drones have invaded the capital’s airspace three times recently.

In a statement early on Monday, Kim Yo Jong said the drone flights were “an unpardonable, malicious challenge to our state”.

As part of the North’s retaliatory action, it also seemed to be preparing to carry out explosions at roads connected to the South, Seoul’s military said.

Last week, the North’s military announced the measure will “completely separate” North Korea’s territory from the South.

The two&nbsp, Koreas are still technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The leaders’ summit in 2018 revealed that there would be no more war and that a new era of peace had begun, and the cross-border roads are remnants of those times of reconciliation.