Military authorities have gone on a state of alert following the discovery at 1:46 a.m. Tuesday that portions of the wire fence along the DMZ in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province had been cut. Keeping in mind that the North Korean military may have tried to infiltrate Seoul by using the early morning hours -- when South Korea's guard capabilities are at their lowest -- to come across to the southern side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), military authorities have tightened security and ordered searches over northern Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province.
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Following the discovery of signs that the wire fence along the DMZ in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province had been cut, soldier stand on guard with armored vehicles along the route from Dongducheon to Yeoncheon on Tuesday.
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At 1:46 a.m. Tuesday, a certain Cpl. Park of the ROK 5th Infantry Division discovered that the two-layer wire fence put up along the DMZ to prevent North Korean incursions had been cut in spots as he was on night patrol in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province.
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Security is tightened at the Junae Roadblock along National Road No. 3 (Uijeongbu-Yeoncheon) in Yangju City, Gyeonggi Province in accordance with the discovery of signs that the wire fence along the demilitarized zone in Cheolwon County, Gangwon Province had been breached Tuesday morning.
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It was said the fence was pushed in toward the South. In a morning briefing, however, Joint Chief of Staff operations officer Brig. Gen. Hwang Jung-seon said the fence had been cut using a cutter, but operations were underway with several possibilities in mind. He also said the failure to discover the holes may have been due to its being night and foggy, and added there was nothing wrong with the men and officers of the relevant units.
With talk going around that the cut sections of the fence were pushed southward, the military is judging it highly possible that Northern spies have infiltrated the South. Accordingly, believing the North Korean military may have tried to infiltrate Seoul by using the early morning hours -- when South Korea's capacity to guard the frontier is at its lowest -- to come across to the southern side of the MDL, military authorities have tightened security and ordered searches over northern Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province.
The military has also ordered the setting up of four additional roadblocks in addition to existing roadblocks in the area and deployment of armored vehicles and armed soldiers to engage in search operations, including vehicle searches, in conjunction with police. Reservists in the area have been placed on standby, as well. In addition, groups of soldiers have been placed along major roads leading to Seoul like the Peace Road and National Road No. 39, mountain paths and hundreds of other area to look for suspicious individuals in preparation for hypothetical situations.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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