North Korea begins dismantling power lines supplying Kaesong industrial complex

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has begun dismantling power lines that once supplied the Kaesong industrial complex. 

The South Korean military revealed that since November 24, troops from the Korean People’s Army have been removing power lines along certain stretches of the Gyeongseong transport route, Caliber.Az reports via Korean media.

The military speculates that the transmission line towers, which have been inactive since June 2020 — when power was cut off following the bombing of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong — will soon be dismantled as well.

These power lines were originally constructed by South Korea, with a total of 48 towers installed to supply electricity to the industrial complex. Of these, 15 towers are situated in North Korean territory.

Earlier, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification accused the DPRK of increasing its use of facilities at the Kaesong Industrial Complex without Seoul’s consent, even though the complex was shut down in 2016.

In a separate incident a month prior, North Korea destroyed several sections of roads and railways connecting the two Koreas. These roads, symbolic of inter-Korean ties, were targeted amid growing tensions between the two nations.

On October 15, North Korea bombed sections of roads leading south, damaging parts of the Gyeonggi and Tonghae roads north of the military demarcation line. No casualties were reported on the South Korean side, but the South Korean military responded by firing warning shots toward the demarcation line. The two Koreas, still technically in a state of armistice since the 1950-1953 Korean War, have never signed a formal peace treaty.

The destroyed roads were seen as symbols of the warming relations between the two Koreas, particularly after the 2018 summit where the leaders pledged to end the war. The roads were rarely used, and their destruction has been interpreted as a "symbolic expression of anger," according to the Associated Press.

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification condemned the bombing of the roads, calling it a “very strange action” by Pyongyang. It also reminded that the roads, which cost approximately $133 million to build with South Korean loans, are still a debt North Korea is obligated to repay despite the damage.

By Tamilla Hasanova