Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

According to the South Korean military, North Korean authorities have allegedly begun dismantling power transmission lines that once supplied electricity to the now-closed Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, Azernews reports.

Since Sunday, soldiers of the Korean People's Army have been dismantling power lines in certain areas along the Kenison transport route. The South Korean military believes that the power transmission poles, which have been inactive since June 2020 (when the power supply was cut off after the bombing of the inter-Korean communications office in Kaesong), will soon be completely removed.

The agency notes that the power lines were originally installed by South Korea. A total of 48 tower supports were built to supply electricity to the industrial complex, 15 of which are located in North Korean territory. Earlier, the South Korean Ministry of Unification claimed that North Korea had been increasing its use of facilities in the Kaesong Industrial Complex without Seoul's consent. The complex had been closed in 2016.

On October 15, North Korea destroyed railways and highways connecting the two Koreas along the Kenison and Tonghae transport routes in the west and east of the peninsula, as part of its broader territorial demarcation policy. Pyongyang has indicated that it plans to "turn the southern border into a fortress." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated that the demolition of these roads symbolizes not only the physical severing of land communication but also a rejection of the idea of unifying the Korean peninsula.