Roads and railways leading from North Korea to the South are rarely used
Published October 9, 2024
North Korea will sever road and railway access to South Korea from Wednesday in a bid to “completely separate” the two countries.
Its military said the North would “permanently shut off and block the southern border” and fortify areas on its side.
The Korean People’s Army (KPA) described the move as “a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war”, claiming it was in response to war exercises in South Korea and the frequent presence of American nuclear assets in the region.
It marks an escalation of hostility at a time when tensions between the Koreas are at their highest point in years.
“The acute military situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula requires the armed forces of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to take a more resolute and stronger measure in order to more creditably defend the national security,” the KPA said in a report published by state media outlet KCNA.
The declaration is a largely symbolic step by Pyongyang. Roads and railways leading from North Korea to the South are rarely used, and have been incrementally dismantled by North Korean authorities over the past year.
It also comes amid a broader push by Pyongyang to change how it relates to the South, and follows a string of inflammatory incidents that have wounded relations between the two countries.
Those incidents have ranged from missile tests to hundreds of trash balloons being sent over North Korea’s southern border.
Notably, North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un announced at the start of 2023 that he was no longer striving towards reunification with the South, raising concerns that war could resume in the Korean peninsula.
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SOURCE: www.bbc.com
RELATED: North Korea vows to block border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures
North Korea says it will permanently block its border with South Korea and build frontline defense structures to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces, while not announcing an expected constitutional revision to designate…
Published October 9, 2024
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Wednesday it will permanently block its border with South Korea and build frontline defense structures to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces, while not announcing an expected constitutional revision to formally designate South Korea its principal enemy and codify new national borders.
While the moves were likely a pressure tactic, it’s unclear how they will affect ties with South Korea since cross-border travel and exchanges have been halted for years.
North Korea’s military said it will “completely cut off roads and railways ” linked to South Korea and “fortify the relevant areas of our side with strong defense structures,” according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
The North’s military called its steps a “self-defensive measure for inhibiting war and defending the security” of North Korea. It said that “the hostile forces are getting ever more reckless in their confrontational hysteria.” It cited what it called various war exercises in South Korea, the deployment of U.S. strategic assets and its rivals’ harsh rhetoric.
South Korea’s military said later Wednesday that it won’t tolerate any attempt by North Korea to change the status quo. It said South Korea will “overwhelmingly punish” North Korea if it launches provocations. A South Korean military statement said North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have threatened peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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SOURCE: www.abcnews.go.com
