North Korea gets serious

Kim prepares to demolish roads to South Korea

A barricaded South Korean border crossing

(Bild: APA/AFP)

North Korea is apparently getting serious about its announcement to destroy the transport links to its declared main enemy "South Korea". Dictator Kim Jong Un is apparently preparing to blow up the roads.

On Wednesday, North Korea declared its intention to permanently cut all road and rail links to South Korea. The initial work for this project is apparently already underway - according to South Korean sources, shields have been erected behind which the roads to the South are to be demolished. 

North Korea cuts all remaining connections 
General Staff spokesman Lee Sung Joon explained that the demolition work could begin as early as Monday. In doing so, the North Korean regime is probably also symbolically cutting its last remaining links with its hostile neighbor.

A barricaded South Korean border crossing

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Propaganda leaflets from the South as a bone of contention
The conflict on the Korean peninsula has recently come to a head: North Korea claimed that South Korea had sent drones over the capital Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets. The regime saw this as a "military attack" and spoke of "an intolerable and unforgivable serious provocation". On Sunday, Kim put the border army on standby to fire.

South Korea fears North Korea's launch of space rocket
In addition, North Korea is said to have laid tens of thousands of landmines along the border area in recent months. The South Korean military also fears that Kim could attempt to launch a space rocket. However, the United Nations considers this to be a prohibited test of long-range missile technology. South Korea's General Staff spokesman reckoned that North Korea could try to increase the pressure on Seoul with "small provocations".