Key facts
- Explosion sounds were heard from the northern side of a western border island.
- A South Korean military official linked the sounds to North Korea's coastal fortification work.
- North Korea was seen conducting demolition and border fortification work near Ganghwa Island.
- Residents reported hearing massive 'booms' in the area.
Explosion sounds heard from the northern side of a western border island appear to be linked to North Korea's ongoing work to reinforce its coastal security facilities, a South Korean military official said Tuesday.
North Korea was seen conducting demolition and border fortification work in a border area near Ganghwa Island off South Korea's west coast, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported the previous day. The media outlet quoted a Ganghwa resident who described hearing massive "booms" nearby, saying that nothing like this had ever happened in all his years living there.
"Explosion sounds are being continuously heard in the North Korean coastal area north of the neutral waters of the Han River estuary on the Ganghwa front," Capt. Jang Do-young, spokesperson of the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), said during a press briefing.