'End of road' looms in Korean peace bid

South Korea said yesterday it has detected signs the North is preparing to destroy northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use amid soaring tensions over claim that Seoul flew drones over Pyongyang.

Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un's push to cut off ties, formally cement the South as his country's principal enemy and abandon the North's decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification.

South Korea's military said it was observing activities that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens.

Spokesman Lee Sung Joon said the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by the UN as a banned test of long-range missile technology.

He expects "small provocations" to ramp up pressure on Seoul.

Seoul is accused of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month, bringing threats of force if it happens again.

The North said Sunday the military had ordered artillery and other army units near the border to "get fully ready to open fire" and that all of South Korea "might turn into piles of ashes" following the attack.

North Korea often releases warlike rhetoric when animosities with its rivals increase.

Experts say it's highly unlikely for North Korea to launch full-scale, preemptive attacks as its military is outmatched by the combined US and South Korean forces.

Observers say anti-Pyongyang activists might have sent drones this month, but the North argues South Korea's government cannot still escape responsibility because it must have been aware of such moves.

In 2022, Seoul sent surveillance drones across the border after accusing Pyongyang of flying drones into the South for the first time in five years.

Last week, North Korea said it will permanently block its border and build front-line defense structures to cope with "confrontational hysteria" by South Korean and US forces.

ASSOCIATED PRESS