00:00North Korean troops have repeatedly crossed the military demarcation line and retreated almost daily.
00:04They've been crossing over very frequently, and this kind of situation has naturally raised concerns about potential North Korean provocations.
00:10In mid-August, North Korea crossed the MDL for the first time this year.
00:13Since then, they seem to be repeatedly crossing it primarily along the Eastern Front.
00:16However, since August 15th, there have been 20 instances of North Korean troops crossing the MDL.
00:21What's notable here is that in 2025, there were only 17 instances in total.
00:25In other words, more than the total number of times North Korean troops crossed the MDL throughout the entire year
00:29of 2025.
00:30They have crossed the MDL more times in just the past month.
00:33Currently, our military issues warning broadcasts when North Korean soldiers approach the MDL, showing signs of crossing.
00:37And if they actually cross, we fire warning shots to make them retreat.
00:42While warning shots were fired in most of the recent crossing incidents, North Korea's MDL violations are becoming far too
00:48frequent.
00:49Looking closely at the violations, North Korean forces continue to cross mainly along the Eastern Front.
00:53Two or three North Korean soldiers, presumed to be a patrol team, cross the MDL in a specific sector.
00:58And our military fired warning shots, causing them to retreat?
01:01Well, it's even more shocking is the new revelation during this National Assembly interpolation session
01:04that North Korean troops built tactical roads, minefields, and electrified barbed wire fences near the MDL under the pretext of
01:10border fortification.
01:11Isn't it?
01:11North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL several times while carrying out operations in the frontline areas.
01:15And it turns out they planted landmines as close as 10 to 15 meters south of the MDL on the
01:19Western Front.
01:19What's more, six such locations were identified within the patrol area of just a single division.
01:23This is practically an infringement on our sovereignty.
01:25Although the Joint Chiefs of Staff did clarify that it doesn't appear to be an intentional intrusion driven by any
01:29unusual North Korean military movements.
01:31According to the military's current assessment, as work progressed in previously unworked sections this year,
01:35these incursions were identified, leading them to conclude that the crossings were not caused by any change in North Korean
01:40troop activity or unusual operations.
01:41I'll explain later why the North Korean military keeps crossing the MDL like this,
01:45but what is certain for now is that North Korea continues its attempts to neutralize the MDL.
01:49The bigger problem is that North Korea continues to reject South Korea's protests and calls for dialogue.
01:54South Korea has consistently proposed to North Korea since 2025 to discuss the MDL baseline.
01:59However, North Korea consistently remained unresponsive to this.
02:01In the meantime, they are continuing to cross the MDL almost daily.
02:04For now, as the North Korean military's MDL violations have become more frequent,
02:07our military is considering installing surveillance equipment further north within the DMZ and strengthening its alert posture.
02:12We also requested the UN command to investigate the North Korean military's MDL violations as armistice violations.
02:17The UNC continues to monitor activities within the DMZ in accordance with the armistice agreement,
02:21and stated that they are coordinating closely with South Korea.
02:23They noted that they are working to reduce the risk of miscalculation and to maintain peace and stability on the
02:28Korean peninsula.
02:28Additionally, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jim Yong-seong and USFK Commander Xavier Brunson,
02:32who also commands the ROK-US Combined Forces Command,
02:34visited the Eastern Front to inspect the situation in the DMZ.
02:37So why does North Korea continue to carry out these provocations?
02:40The biggest reason is presumed to be the neutralization of the MDL.
02:43After defining inter-Korean relations as two hostile states in December 2023,
02:46North Korea began constructing fences and minefields around the MDL in April 2024,
02:50and they have been carrying out work to construct tactical roads and other infrastructure.
02:53From the military's perspective,
02:55it is believed that MDL violations are occurring frequently during this process,
02:57and the Ministry of National Defense expects that this border-hardening construction will be completed around 2028.
03:01And above all, the North Korean military appears to be concentrating its firepower near the Armistice Line.
03:05With new 240mm and 600mm multiple rocket launchers and self-propelled guns,
03:09as well as tactical missiles being deployed near the Armistice Line,
03:11they are building up their military power,
03:13and this marks the very first time that 600mm multiple rocket launchers have been deployed near the Armistice Line.
03:17Furthermore, from 2023 to this year,
03:19several North Korean military bases south of Kaesong have seen the consecutive construction of large-scale buildings measuring about 52
03:24meters in length,
03:25with at least 21 facilities confirmed so far located merely a few kilometers north of the DMZ.
03:29In other words, the North Korean military is currently violating the MDL while simultaneously concentrating its firepower near the Armistice
03:35Line.
03:35Above all,
03:36what military authorities have recently been paying close attention to is the speed of North Korea's construction.
03:40Analyses indicate that the pace of work has noticeably sped up compared to the past,
03:43and it is understood that the scale of North Korean troops deployed for the work has increased as well.
03:46It is currently known that an average of 3,000 to 5,000 North Korean soldiers are mobilized to construction
03:50sites each day,
03:51which is up to nearly five times higher compared to the past.
03:53As North Korea significantly expanded the personnel deployed to frontline construction,
03:56analysis suggests they are shorting the construction period by carrying out work simultaneously across each section.
04:01In particular,
04:02while work previously tended to progress in a specific section before moving to another area,
04:06construction has recently been observed taking place in multiple areas at the same time.
04:10As manpower deployment increases,
04:11earth clearing,
04:12mine laying,
04:13fence installation,
04:14and road maintenance are reportedly being carried out concurrently.
04:16Because of this,
04:16the pace at which new facilities are being built around the military demarcation line is also accelerating.
04:20Our military assesses that North Korea is concentrating significantly more manpower at the front lines than last year,
04:24and views that the sections where construction is underway are also steadily expanding.
04:28Above all,
04:29what we need to pay attention to right now is North Korea's actions around the military demarcation line.
04:33That is,
04:34crossing back and forth across the MDL and building the boundary system they desire right on the ground.
04:38Currently,
04:38the MDL,
04:38unlike the line marked on a map,
04:40is in the field,
04:40not a structure that can always be clearly identified.
04:42And there are also areas where the North and South receive the location and criteria of the military demarcation line
04:47differently.
04:47In this situation,
04:48if North Korea continues to install minefields and barbed wire fences near the MDL,
04:51and keep building roads and various facilities,
04:53the problem could become even more complicated,
04:55as the facilities newly installed by North Korea may come to be recognized as the actual boundary on the ground
04:59over time.
05:00In particular,
05:01if North Korea continues to expand facilities southward according to its own standards,
05:04the boundaries perceived by the two Koreas could diverge even further.
05:07And if soldiers judge different locations to be the MDL during actual operations,
05:10the risk of accidental clashes could also escalate.
05:12Another important factor is the nature of the DMZ itself.
05:15Under the Armistice Agreement,
05:16the DMZ is a demilitarized zone established between the two Koreas to prevent direct military clashes.
05:20Yet,
05:20in this very space,
05:21landmines,
05:22barbed wire fences,
05:23and other military purpose facilities like roads continue to expand,
05:27the demilitarized zone's function as a buffer space could inevitably weaken.
05:30Therefore,
05:31North Korea's moves shouldn't be seen merely as installing additional fences or landmines.
05:34What matters is that North Korea is physically establishing its own border regime on the ground,
05:37altering the physical landscape around the MDL in the process.
05:40As these operations continue,
05:41the potential for inter-Korean clashes over the location and meaning of the existing MDL could grow,
05:45and military tensions in the DMZ could also escalate.
05:47With the North Korean military repeatedly approaching and violating the MDL,
05:50situations requiring split-second decisions by our forces in the field
05:53are becoming increasingly frequent.
05:55What's crucial here isn't just the fact that North Korean troops cross the MDL.
05:59It's about how quickly we can determine their intent on the ground.
06:02Whether they cross the border during their work,
06:05deliberately approach a scout situation in a specific area,
06:08or preparing for an actual military action
06:10can be difficult to determine immediately in the field just by watching their movements.
06:14Especially with North Korean troops working across multiple sectors,
06:17the movements of troops and working personnel can occur simultaneously.
06:21So the burden on our military to accurately distinguish each situation is bound to grow.
06:25The problem is that these judgments don't just end with observing the situation.
06:27The moment the North Korean military actually crosses the MDL,
06:30our military has to issue warning broadcasts,
06:32and, if necessary, even warning shots.
06:35On the ground, situations can arise where decisions made within seconds or minutes are critical.
06:38Even if we confirm that North Korean troops have crossed the MDL,
06:41whether they will withdraw immediately,
06:42or continue moving south,
06:44or if additional troops are following behind,
06:45dictates that our level of response could change accordingly.
06:47Especially if the surrounding area is constantly changing,
06:50reconciling the previously identified positions with the actual situation on the ground.
06:54Another important aspect is that the two Koreas can interpret the same movement quite differently.
06:58While our military might view North Korea's actions as an accidental incident occurring during work,
07:01the North Korean military could interpret our warning broadcasts or warning shots in an entirely different way.
07:05There is a possibility they might take it differently.
07:07Conversely, if our military judges North Korea's movements as military actions,
07:10tensions could easily escalate during the response process.
07:13If the judgment of one side consistently clashes with the other,
07:16unnecessary tensions will keep arising on the ground.
07:19Particularly as the environment around the MDL itself continues to change like this,
07:23new types of structures are being built that differ from the familiar terrain.
07:26With the expansion of the work zones, there are more factors to verify on the ground,
07:29beyond just monitoring the movements of North Korean troops,
07:32determining their exact positions and whether they have actually crossed the MDL.
07:34require simultaneously checking which direction they are heading and whether there are additional troops.
07:39As the information needed for surveillance and judgment increases,
07:42the burden on on-site responses is bound to grow.
07:44Meanwhile, in the current situation, the biggest pitfall to avoid is not interpreting every single movement
07:48of the North Korean troops as an intentional provocation,
07:50nor, conversely, simply dismissing it as something that occurred in the course of work.
07:53What is important is maintaining a system that allows our military to accurately assess the situation
07:58and respond even when their intentions are unclear.
08:00That is because as North Korean movements repeat, there will be more moments requiring on-site judgment,
08:04and in that process, the slightest miscalculation could increasingly lead to an actual clash.
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