A video showing what appeared to be unusual activity by North Korean military authorities in border areas of Ganghwa Island in Incheon and Gimpo in Gyeonggi province spread on social media, but South Korean military authorities determined that the activity did not constitute a threat to South Korea.
On Sept. 9, a series of posts appeared on social media showing hazy, smoke-filled scenes in areas of Ganghwa Island and Gimpo, accompanied by claims that “the sound of North Korean artillery was heard.”
Some social media users speculated that the location shown in the video was the Gwansanpo area of North Korea and raised questions such as whether “North Korea is clearing roads in preparation for war.”
However, authorities said they have found no complaints filed with Ganghwa County or Gimpo City over noise or military activity linked to North Korea.
Officials from Ganghwa County and Gimpo City said, “No complaints related to noise from North Korea have been received,” adding, “If a complaint had been filed, we would have looked into related developments.”
Military authorities were found to have checked and analyzed North Korean activity in connection with the video that spread on social media.
The military confirmed indications that related activity had taken place in North Korea but determined that it did not constitute an action that could pose a threat to South Korea.
A military official said, “We identified North Korean activity related to the video circulating on social media, but it was not analyzed as an action that could pose a threat to us.” The official added, “We cannot disclose specific details, but we assessed it as an internal activity of the North Korean military.”