North Korea blows up road links to the South

North Korea blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas yesterday, prompting South Korea's military to fire warning shots.

Pyongyang's military last week vowed to permanently seal its southern border after spending months laying mines and building anti-tank barriers in the wake of leader Kim Jong Un declaring the South his country's "principal enemy."

The North also accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital Pyongyang, with Kim convening a security meeting to plan "immediate military action" in response, state media reported.

"North Korea has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to inter-Korean infrastructure that once connected the two countries.

"There has been no damage to our military, and our forces conducted counter-fire," it added.

Destroying the roads sends a clear message that Kim is not prepared to negotiate with the South, experts said.

"This is a practical military measure related to the hostile dual-state system that North Korea has frequently mentioned," Yang Moo Jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said.

The North may also be looking to erect more physical barriers along the border, Yang said, adding that the road detonations could be "preparatory work."

South Korea's military released video footage showing North Korean soldiers in military uniform ahead of a huge explosion that blew up sections of the Gyeongui road. There was a separate footage showing North Korea blowing up a section of the Donghae road, on the east coast.

South Korea's unification ministry slammed the North for what it called an "extremely abnormal" provocation, adding that Seoul had shouldered millions in costs for building the infrastructure.

"North Korea still has repayment obligations," it added.

China called on all parties "to avoid further escalation of conflicts" on the peninsula, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

Seoul's military initially denied sending drones north, even as Pyongyang warned it would consider it "a declaration of war" if another drone was detected.

The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said there was "clear evidence" that the South Korean military was behind the drones.

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