North Korea Considering Building Walls in Buffer Zone

According to media reports, North Korea may be constructing walls and roads within the military buffer zone between the two Korean states. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that construction work of this kind by the North Korean military was recently observed on the northern side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ). The purpose of the work could not be explained in more detail. The public broadcaster KBS also reported similar observations, citing a South Korean government official. Walls are being built simultaneously in places in the eastern, central, and western parts of the buffer zone. The construction work could be an indication that North Korea is planning a long wall or simply wants to erect protective structures in certain places.

The Defense Ministry in Seoul did not confirm the reports initially, and there was no information from largely isolated North Korea itself. The DMZ still forms the de facto border between the two countries, which have been at war under international law since the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. The buffer zone, around 240 kilometers long and four kilometers wide, was set up across the Korean peninsula at the end of the war. The inner-Korean border is heavily fortified. According to the General Staff in Seoul, South Korean border guards recently fired warning shots at the border after several North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the military demarcation line. The North Korean soldiers immediately withdrew, and tensions between the two sides have been increasing significantly for months.