North Korea will cut road and rail access to South Korea starting Wednesday in a bid to “completely separate” the two countries.
His army said the North would “permanently close and block the southern border” and fortify areas on its side.
The Korean People's Army (KPA) described the move as “a self-defense measure to prevent war,” saying it was in response to war drills in South Korea and the frequent presence of U.S. nuclear assets. in the region.
It marks an escalation of hostility at a time when tensions between the Koreas are at their highest level 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 more resolute and stronger measures to more credibly defend national security,” the statement said. APC in a published report. by state media KCNA.
This declaration is a largely symbolic measure on the part of Pyongyang. Roads and railways connecting North Korea with the South are rarely used and have been gradually dismantled by North Korean authorities over the past year.
It also comes as part of a broader push by Pyongyang to change its relationship with the South, and follows a series of incendiary incidents that have hurt relations between the two countries.
These incidents range from missile tests to hundreds of garbage balloons sent over North Korea's southern border.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un notably announced in early 2023 that he was no longer trying to reunify the country with the South, raising fears of a resumption of war on the Korean peninsula.
“I think it is necessary to revise some contents of the DPRK Constitution,” Kim said at a meeting of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) in January.
“In my opinion, it is necessary to remove expressions such as 'northern half' and 'independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity' from the constitution,” he added, suggesting that the constitution be revised “during next session.”
The next session was held this week and ended on Tuesday. Yet while many observers expected Pyongyang to ratify Kim's earlier comments and make constitutional amendments to unification and border policies, no such changes have been made public.
An analyst from the Korea Institute for National Unification suggested that Pyongyang could wait for the outcome of the U.S. election before making any concrete decisions.
Officials could “consider adjusting the scale of constitutional revisions to align with the direction of the new (US) administration”, Hong Min told the AFP news agency.
It is unclear whether North Korea's decision to cut off all roads and railways connecting it to the South was the result of discussions at the SPA session.
