Today we’re bringing you perspectives on escalating tensions between North and South Korea from the Korean Central News Agency, France 24, Al-Jazeera English, the BBC, and the Korean Broadcasting Station.

On Wednesday, the North Korean government announced plans to ban border crossings to the south by December 1, according to the government sponsored Korean Central News Agency. KCNA added,

“The south Korean puppet authorities should never forget that the present inter-Korean relations are at the crucial crossroads of existence and total severance.” (KCNA)

France 24 reports the measure is the result of terse exchanges between North and South Korea over the past year.

“Since February Seoul’s conservative government has promised to take a firmer stand if the North refused to cooperate with the dissembling of its nuclear facilities. And last month Pyongyang threatened to reduce South Korea to rubble if activists continued to send leaflets over the border in balloons criticizing Kim Jong Il’s communist regime.” (France 24)

According to Al-Jazeera English, the decision will almost certainly result in the closure of an industrial complex in the border town of Kaesong.

“The park, which employs some 30,000 North Koreans, is a highly symbolic joint venture between the two Koreas in operation and its closure would mark a further deterioration of increasingly icy relations on the peninsula.” (Al Jazeera English)

The BBC notes North Korean authorities have already shutdown a Red Cross office in the North, as a precursor to the closing of the border.

“The phone lines from the Red Cross office in the border village of Panmunjom were the only non-military link between the countries.
Phone and mail links between ordinary people have been cut since the end of the 1950-53 war.” (BBC)

The Seoul-based Korean Broadcasting Station says South Korea issued a statement expressing “regret” over Pyongyang’s decision to close the border.

“Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said the border shutdown would have a negative impact on efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.
He said the South Korean government is willing to talk with the North in order to implement previous inter-Korean summit declarations, and urged Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table with Seoul.” (KBS)

Was the North Korean regime justified in closing civilian ties with the South? Should outside parties intervene in this latest dispute?

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