Anchor:

As the government responds to North Korea's leaflet dissemination by suspending the 9.19 Military Agreement, tensions are rising.

Anchor:

Residents in border areas are living in fear.

Jung Hansol has the story.

Report:

A sense of unease is creeping back into this quiet village where houses are clustered together.

[Resident of Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si] "Leaflets are flying over, and alarms are going off in the middle of the night... It feels like they're really making the people so uneasy."

If they resume broadcasting through loudspeakers, tensions in the border area will inevitably increase.

The immediate impact on livelihoods cannot be ignored.

The owner of a small tea shop is worried about losing customers.

[Tea shop owner in Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si] "Especially now that it's business season. Customers need to come, but in times like these, the area is filled with anxiety and unease."

Residents farming inside the Civilian Control Line are worried about being restricted from entering.

[An Jae-young, Village Chief of Heyri Village, Paju-si] "The biggest problem is that various agricultural products, such as apple orchards and rice paddies, inside will be ruined."

In Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi-do, which borders the Military Demarcation Line, a North Korean shooting incident actually occurred 10 years ago.

Choi Byung-nam, a local resident, cannot forget that memory.

[Choi Byung-nam, Resident of Jung-myeon, Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi-do] "Around 5 o'clock, something fell down there and there was a flash. It was like fireworks."

After that, when our military responded to North Korea's landmine attacks with loudspeaker broadcasts, North Korea retaliated with artillery fire, forcing 2,000 people in the border area to evacuate.

Residents are preparing for any eventuality amid their anxiety.

[Choi Byung-nam, Resident of Jung-myeon, Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi-do] "We've even practiced evacuation drills this year, walking, using mountain trails."

As the possibility of military exercises increases, residents of the northwestern islands, such as Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo, are also closely watching the situation.

This is Jung Hansol reporting for MBC News.

Source: https://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2024/nwtoday/article/6604970_36523.html