Since April 7, North Korea has not responded to regular communication with the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office and the military communication line with South Korea. On the previous day, the Ministry of Unification attempted to send a notification to North Korea demanding the cessation of unauthorized use of South Korean assets in the Kaesong Industrial Region, but North Korea refused and unilaterally blocked the communication line the following day. Previously, North Korea had blocked the communication line between North and South Korea on June 9, 2020, citing the Balloon Propaganda dissemination by a group of North Korean defectors, and subsequently detonated the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office on June 16. There is widespread speculation about whether North Korea will carry out any high-intensity provocations following the recent blocking of the inter-Korean communication line.

North and South Korea have regular morning and afternoon calls scheduled through the joint liaison office channel, while the military authorities conduct morning calls at 9 a.m. and afternoon calls at 4 p.m. through their communication line. The reason for North Korea's lack of response to these calls is unknown, but there is speculation that it may be due to dissatisfaction with the previous day's attempt to issue a notice to stop the unauthorized use of South Korean goods in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Additionally, there may be intentional refusal to respond due to backlash against recent events such as the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise and the Reports on Human Rights Practices regarding North Korea. The government believes the lack of response from North Korea is likely a deliberate one-sided blocking of communication, rather than a mere communication error.

Amidst concerns that North Korea's recent unilateral blocking of the inter-Korean communication line could lead to provocations similar to the detonation of the liaison office three years ago, North Korea has unveiled eight types of strategic weapons, including the nuclear torpedo "Haesil," KN-23, North Korea's version of ATACMS (KN-24), the 600mm super-large multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) (KN-25), Tactical Ballistic Missile (TBM), Close Range Ballistic Missile (CRBM) (Hwasal-1, Hwasal-2) which can be loaded like a bullet into warheads of various sizes and shapes. As North Korea has recently been conducting intensive simulated detonation tests of tactical nuclear warheads, some experts have raised the possibility of a "7th nuclear test" during this month's political schedule, including the Day of the Sun (Kim Il-sung's birthday), and cannot rule out high-intensity provocations against the United States, such as launching ICBMs at a normal angle (30-45 degrees).

North Korean media has reported that Kim Jong-un attended the 6th expanded meeting of the 8th Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on April 10th. During the meeting, Kim emphasized the need to accelerate the strengthening of North Korea's war deterrence as a measure to more strictly control and manage the increasingly serious security situation on the Korean peninsula. North Korean media also released photos of Kim pointing towards the vicinity of Camp Humphreys Airdrome, a US military base in Pyeongtaek, and another photo showing a North Korean military cadre pointing near Gyeryongdae with a command baton.

Kim Jong-un attended consecutive enlarged meetings of the Central Military Commission of the WPK in February and March to discuss the state of war readiness. This meeting, which is usually held every six months, was held three months in a row. Afterward, the long-range cruise missile "Hwasal" and the nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) “Haeil” and tactical nuclear warhead "Hwasan-31" were revealed in succession.

Of note is that North Korea has publicly tested “Haeil”, its first-ever nuclear-capable UUV three times. After unveiling the Haeil on March 24th, North Korea has continued to introduce improved versions such as Haeil-1 and Haeil-2. In particular, North Korea announced that the range of "Haeil-2" is up to 1,000 km, which, if true, could penetrate and strike not only the southern coast of South Korea but also some United States Forces Japan naval bases in secret. The possibility of North Korea introducing an improved version of "Haeil-3" with enhanced performance has also been raised. North Korea has asserted that "Haeil" can be fitted with small tactical nuclear warheads like the "Hwasong-31," which has a diameter of just 50cm. This has led to various speculations about North Korea's intentions. There are concerns that North Korea's recent blocking of communication lines may lead to further provocations.