North Korea blows up parts of its roads connected to the South

North Korea blew up parts of its roads connected to South Korea on Tuesday, the military said.

"The North Korean military conducted detonations, assumed to be aimed at cutting off the Gyeongui and Donghae roads, at around noon and is carrying out additional activities using heavy equipment," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.

The JCS said the South's military did not suffer any damage and that it responded by firing shots south of the Military Demarcation Line.

"The military is closely monitoring the North Korean military's activities and maintains a firm readiness posture amid strengthened surveillance under South Korea-U.S. cooperation," it added.

Last week, the North's military announced a plan to "completely separate" North Korea's territory from South Korea, saying it had informed the U.S. military of the move to "prevent any misjudgment and accidental conflict."

The Koreas are connected by roads and railways along the Gyeongui Line, which connects the South's western border city of Paju to the North's Kaesong, and the Donghae Line along the east coast.

The move came as North Korea has been ramping up inter-Korean tensions and wiping out traces of unification after its leader Kim Jong-un defined the Koreas as "two hostile states" late last year, with the country taking steps to dismantle inter-Korean land routes.

The North has since removed street lamps and installed mines along its side of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads, as well as deploying troops to build apparent anti-tank barriers and reinforce barbed wire within its side of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

News.Az