Three Holes in Wire Fences Discovered in Front Line, Cheolwon

At 1:46 a.m. Tuesday, a front-line infantry division in Cheolwon, Gangwon Province discovered three openings cut in the wire fences. Regarding this, military authorities raised the security status around the immediate area to “Jindokgae 1,” the highest alert issued when an infiltrator search operation is needed.

According to the Defense Ministry, two soldiers, including a certain Corporal Park of the front line division, discovered an opening of 30 by 40 centimeters at the bottom of the wire fences during their night patrol along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). On this, the Joint Chiefs of Investigation Staff, which conducted an on-the-spot inspection, concluded that all the openings of the fences show similarity in terms of size as well as shape.

“The investigation shows that the fences are likely razed from the south,” an official of the Joint Chiefs of Investigation Staff said, suggesting the possibility of South Korean residents’ crossing the border into North Korea rather than infiltration of North Korean soldiers.

“The size of the holes is large enough for a small person to pass through when the top parts of the torn areas are pushed. The flaps of the fences had been bent back into place to conceal that they had been cut,” said an official of the Defense Ministry.

The military has not yet found any signs of infiltration of North Korean soldiers, including footprints, clothing, and weapons. Although the military is weighing more over the possibility of South Koreans’ crossing the DMZ into North Korea, it still suspects the possibility of North Korean soldiers’ infiltration. The military installed checkpoints in Gangwon and Northern Gyeonggi areas, tightening security checks on suspicious people and vehicles.

Ho-Won Choi bestiger@donga.com