North Korea has blown up sections of deeply symbolic roads linking it to the South, Seoul's military said, adding that it had conducted an "return fire" operation in response.
Last week, Pyongyang's military vowed to permanently seal its southern border after spending months planting mines and building anti-tank fences after leader Kim Jong Un declared the South his country's "main enemy".
Last week, North Korea accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital Pyongyang, with Kim calling a security meeting to direct a plan for "immediate military action" in response, state media reported.
"North Korea has blown up parts of Gyeonggi and Donghae roads north of the military demarcation line," the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee said, referring to inter-Korean infrastructure that once linked the two countries.
"No damage was done to our military, and our forces conducted a counteroffensive in areas south of the demilitarized zone," it added.
The roads have long been closed, but their destruction sends a clear message that Kim is not willing to negotiate with the South, experts say.
"It's a practical military measure related to the hostile two-state system that North Korea often mentions," Yang Mu-jin, president of the Seoul-based North Korea Studies University, told AFP.
It is possible that the North is seeking to erect more physical barriers along the border, Yang said, adding that the detonations along the roads could be "preparatory work for the construction of these walls."
Drones?
Seoul's military initially denied sending drones to the North but subsequently refused to comment, although Pyongyang accused them directly, warning it would consider it a "declaration of war" if another drone was detected.
Activist groups have long sent propaganda material to the North, usually by balloon, and enthusiasts have also been known to release small, hard-to-detect drones in the North.
Unlike conventional drones made of metal, the devices they use are made of expanded polypropylene, similar to Styrofoam, allowing them to go undetected by both South and North Korean authorities, according to activists who spoke to local media.
At the meeting with Kim, officials heard a report on the "serious provocation of the enemy," KCNA reported, adding that Kim "expressed a firm political and military stance."
The North said the United States should also be held accountable.
North Korea itself has sent drones to the South - in 2022, five of Pyongyang's drones crossed the border, prompting the South Korean military to fire warning shots and send in fighter jets.
The fighters failed to shoot down any of the drones.
In July, Seoul said it would deploy lasers to melt drones this year, saying the South's ability to respond to provocations would be "greatly improved."
The new laser weapons - dubbed "Project StarWars" by the South - fire an invisible, silent beam that costs just 2,000 won ($1.45) to use, according to the Defense Acquisition Programs Administration.
Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years, with the North's military saying last week it would permanently close the southern border, "completely cutting off roads and railways" linked to the South and building "strong defense structures."
After Kim's meeting in Pyongyang, "attention is turning to whether North Korea will respond by sending drones into the South or take decisive action if drones infiltrate its territory again," said Chong Song-chan of the Sejong Institute.
"North Korea is likely to launch strong provocations along the border if drone infiltration is repeated," Chong said. | BGNES
