It has been confirmed that North Korea is building a military facility on an uninhabited island near the de facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea.
 
An official of the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that the North has been carrying out excavation and foundation work for a month at Gal Island, located two-and-a-half kilometers north of the Northern Limit Line.
 
The official said given that the construction is in its early stages, it is difficult to tell what North Korean soldiers are building. However, the official added that mostly likely the North is constructing artillery sites or a facility to monitor the South.
 
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are said to be keeping an eye on the construction efforts, using satellites and reconnaissance planes.