The North would “permanently shut off and block the southern border,” according to the military, and fortify territories on its side.
The Korean People’s Army (KPA) said the action was in response to war games being held in South Korea and the regular presence of US nuclear weapons in the area, characterizing it as “a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war”.
At a time when tensions between the Koreas are at an all-time high, it signifies a rise in animosity.
“Given the dire military circumstances on the Korean peninsula, the armed forces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) must adopt a more.
Pyongyang’s declaration is essentially a symbolic move. North Korean officials have been gradually dismantling the roads and trains that connect North Korea to the South for the past year. These routes are little used.
It also follows a series of provocative actions that have strained relations between the two nations and coincides with Pyongyang’s larger drive to alter its relationship with the South.
Those occurrences have varied from missile tests to hundreds of rubbish balloons being sent over North Korea’s southern border.
Notably, North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un said at the start of 2023 that he was no longer pushing for reunification with the South, increasing concerns that conflict could resume in the Korean peninsula.
