North Korea dismantles south-built power lines, escalates border tensions

North Korea is reportedly dismantling power transmission lines that once supplied electricity to the shuttered Kaesong industrial complex, a move signaling further strain in inter-Korean relations.

South Korean military sources told Yonhap News Agency that soldiers from the Korean People’s Army began removing sections of the transmission lines along the Gyeongui rail corridor on Sunday. The power lines, constructed by South Korea, have been inactive since June 2020, when North Korea severed the power supply following the bombing of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong.

South Korean officials believe that the dismantling could soon extend to transmission supports. “The power lines were a crucial part of the industrial complex, symbolizing cooperation between the two Koreas,” said one official, adding that 15 of the 48 transmission towers are located in North Korean territory.

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The Kaesong complex, once a hallmark of inter-Korean economic collaboration, has been idle since 2016. The latest actions follow North Korea’s October destruction of railways and roads linking the two countries, a move that leader Kim Jong Un described as a step to “turn the southern border into a fortress.” He declared that severing infrastructure ties also symbolizes “the rejection of the idea of reunification of the Korean Peninsula.”

This dismantling of infrastructure underscores Pyongyang’s commitment to a hardline stance, raising questions about the prospects for reconciliation on the peninsula.