South Korean military said that North Korea has blown up the northern section of the roads that connect both the Koreas. Parts of the road north of the military demarcation line dividing the countries were blown up at about midday, said the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message sent to media.
The message also said that the military fired warning shots south of the demarcation line. Earlier, South Korea has warned that North was preparing to blow up roads connecting the two.
The atmosphere became fragile in the Korean peninsula after Pyongyang accused Seoul of sending drones carrying propaganda leaflets.
According to media, the explosion came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called a meeting with his top military and security officials to discuss the issue.
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As per North Korean state media, during the meeting, Kim described the flights as the “enemy’s serious provocation” and laid out unspecified tasks related to “immediate military action” and the operation of his “war deterrent” for defending the country’s sovereignty.
Earlier, North Korea put frontline artillery and other units on standby to launch attacks on South Korea, if its drones were found over Pyongyang again.
South Korea did not confirm if it had sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens was threatened.
This is not the first time North Korea blew up things between two Koreas. In 2020, Pyongyang has destroyed the liaison office for the two Koreas, signalling the end of a period of detente.
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In last November, North Korea said it would move more troops and military equipment to the border and would no longer be bound by a joint military agreement of 2018, after Seoul suspended parts of the agreement in response to Pyongyang’s launch of a military spy satellite.
Earlier this year, the South Korean officials have said that North Korea began adding antitank barriers and laying mines along the border.
The latest blowing up of roads between the tow countries would be in line with Kim Jong Un’s move to cut off ties with South Korea, formally cement it as his country’s principal enemy and abandon North Korea’s decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification.
(With inputs from agencies)