South Korea warns of North’s border fortifications, calls for dialogue

South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Tuesday that North Korea has taken “unprecedentedly strong” measures to sever ties with the South, including constructing layered fences and fortifications along the inter-Korean border.

“Since 2024, North Korea has been taking unprecedentedly strong measures to sever ties between the two Koreas, including building what are essentially triple-layered fences and fortifications along the border,” Ahn said at the 15th Seoul Defence Dialogue, Caliber.Az reports, foreign media.

Speaking at the inaugural plenary session alongside Czech Defence Minister Jaromir Zuna and Philippine Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro, Ahn said restoring dialogue would be essential to reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“Resolving the hostile relationship between the two countries requires U.S.-North Korea dialogue to lead to improvements in inter-Korean dialogue,” he said.

Ahn said Seoul would maintain military readiness while pursuing gradual confidence-building measures with Pyongyang. He pointed to South Korea’s suspension and removal of propaganda broadcasts along the border and efforts to recover the remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War as examples of such steps.

North Korea has previously strengthened its border defences, including constructing anti-tank barriers and other fortifications after dismantling inter-Korean roads. Seoul also requested military talks with Pyongyang in November 2025 to clarify the location of the Military Demarcation Line following a series of border incidents. North Korea did not respond.

Ahn stressed that South Korea would continue seeking peaceful solutions even if Pyongyang maintained its increasingly hardened posture.

Seoul would continue pursuing “peaceful measures and actions” even if Pyongyang continued to “put up walls and block the way,” he said.

At the same time, the minister emphasised that diplomacy must be backed by credible military capabilities.

“All of this is possible only when backed by military strength, so we are always prepared and equipped to meet all conditions and circumstances,” Ahn said.

Ahn also highlighted the potential impact of renewed engagement between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying such dialogue could have “enormous” implications for the international community. South Korea’s military, he added, would support diplomatic efforts.

He called for a balance between deterrence and diplomacy, warning that military strength alone cannot guarantee stability and that the absence of dialogue could increase the risk of miscalculation and escalation.

“Dialogue without deterrence is vulnerable, but deterrence without alternatives is also dangerous,” Ahn said. “What we need is stable deterrence.”

South Korea will continue deterring conflict through its alliance with the United States and its own defence capabilities while expanding security cooperation with partners beyond Northeast Asia, Ahn said.

Ahn is expected to step down later this month after his successor, Kang Shin-chul, a retired four-star general and former deputy commander of the U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command, is confirmed.

By Vugar Khalilov