North Korea to turn border with South into ‘eternal fortress’
North Korea’s border with the “absolutely hostile state” of South Korea will become an “eternal fortress,” Pyongyang has vowed, while confirming reports of the destruction of road and rail links with its neighbor.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that earlier this week Pyongyang’s forces blew up 60-meter stretches of road and rail lines along the east and west sections of the border “as part of the phased complete separation” of the North and South.
The agency cited a representative of the North Korean Defense Ministry as saying that “further measures will be taken to turn the blocked southern border into an eternal fortress.”
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Tuesday that North Korea has detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads to the north of the Military Demarcation Line between the two countries.
The severing of road and railway links is an “inevitable and legitimate measure taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK [North Korean] Constitution, which clearly defines the ROK [South Korea] as an absolutely hostile state,” KCNA said.
It is also a response to the “serious security situation, which is reaching the brink of an unpredictable war due to serious military-political provocations by the hostile forces,” the agency added.
It appears to be the first confirmation of the North Korean Constitution now officially defining the South as a “hostile state.” The development follows last week’s meeting of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which was reportedly aimed at amending the country’s principal law.
In his speech to his country’s parliament in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that reunification with the South was no longer an option and urged for the Constitution to be changed so that its neighbor could be declared a separate, “hostile” country.
On Friday, North Korea accused the South of sending drones dropping propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang on three occasions this month alone. Seoul has neither confirmed nor denied the UAV flights, but warned that the DPRK will see the “end of its regime” if it retaliates by targeting South Korea.
Pyongyang first spoke about cutting off inter-Korean roads and railways following joint US-South Korean military exercises several weeks ago, which it described as “provocative war drills for aggression.” Since then, the North Korean military has been fortifying its side of the border with frontline artillery, army units, landmines and barriers.
