North Korea has accused South Korea of sending drones to scatter anti-North propaganda leaflets over their capital, Pyongyang, threatening armed conflict in response to this provocation. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff say they cannot confirm the North’s accusations but instead point to the multitudes of balloons with attached bags of garbage and excrement sent into South Korean airspace by Pyongyang. North Korea’s state news agency KCNA has released photos of the supposed drones, according to The Warzone. However, the images are of poor quality, with the drones only slightly resembling either an Israeli Harop attack drone or a U.S.-made ScanEagle low-altitude drone. Other photos show the drones releasing bundles of materials, with photos of the intercepted leaflets attached.
According to the North Korean Foreign Ministry, these drone incursions have occurred on several nights from October 3 to 10, each time penetrating the airspace over Pyongyang. Additionally, according to KCNA, the ministry is quoted saying that these incursions are a dangerous and irresponsible provocation that may cause armed conflict. A report by Yonhap News Agency argues that South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun knows nothing of the situation or the supposed drones, with the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff echoing her view that South Korea did not send any drones. However, they will investigate whether private organizations spread the leaflets. Additionally, the North Korean Defence Ministry has said they are preparing their front-line army to launch strikes against the South, with an unidentified spokesperson stating that the Defense Ministry has issued a preliminary operation order to artillery and other army units around the South Korean border to get ready to open fire, according to the Independent. These accusations may be a ploy to allow North Korea to legally increase tensions with South Korea, but regardless, said accusations will lead to an escalation of tensions and possibly violence.
The North is getting ready to incite violence, as seen in the report by the Independent. Since the U.S.-led diplomacy with a mission to end North Korea’s nuclear program fell apart in 2019, North Korea has been increasing its nuclear arsenal and repeatedly threatening to attack South Korea and the United States. Though experts do say it is unlikely that North Korea will initiate an attack, these accusations may just have added enough fuel to the fire that Pyongyang is ready to strike South Korea. Lowering tensions is long overdue, though it may not be the place for U.S. diplomats to do so. Instead, a peaceful exchange between Pyongyang and Seoul that potentially resolves in a de-escalation treaty may help alleviate some tensions between the two countries. Though unlikely, this would be the best path to finding lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.
According to a report by Straight Arrow News, North Korea has been taking steps to defy the South by cutting off roads and railways connected to South Korea, installing landmines along the border, and releasing the previously mentioned garbage-filled balloons. North Korea has called these tactics a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets that have been sent across the border by activists and North Korean defectors in South Korea. This much is certain: intrusions from both countries across the border of various forms have led to a severe escalation in violence, with North Korea preparing to strike along the border. If tensions are to escalate further in this matter, tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, and by extension, with China, will increase, leading to an uncertain future.
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