South Korea has fired warning shots after North Korea blew up sections of a shared road between the two Korean states earlier today , reported Reuters.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff clarified that the warning shots fired south of the demarcation line between the two Koreas were in response to North Korea's decision to blow up sections of its territory on the inter-Korean highway.
South Korea announced that North Korea had blown up the section of road connecting the two Korean states on its territory, world agencies reported. This comes at a time of escalating tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul over the North's claims that the South has sent drones over the North Korean capital.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South is increasing its preparedness for possible action and monitoring the situation, but did not elaborate.
The blast on the North Korean section of the joint road followed the day North Korean leader Kim Jong-un scheduled a meeting with top North Korean military and security officials. During the meeting, Kim stated that the flight of South Korean drones over Pyongyang was a serious enemy provocation. He also assigned unspecified tasks related to immediate military action and a military dissuasion operation against the enemy to protect North Korea's sovereignty, North Korea's state news agency said.
Earlier, North Korea placed its artillery along the demarcation line ready to strike the South. Other army units were also placed in readiness for action. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it has sent drones over the North, but has warned that it will punish North Korea if the safety of South Korean citizens is threatened by it in any way.
Demolition of the North Korean section of the common road is part of the North Korean leader's efforts to cut ties with the South and abandon the decades-old goal of reunification on the Korean peninsula.
During a previous period of inter-Korean detente, the two Koreas linked two roads and two railways along their heavily guarded border. However, their movement was subsequently suspended amid new tensions over North Korea's nuclear program and other contentious issues.
Last week, Pyongyang said it would permanently block the road with the South and build structures to protect the border line in response to what it described as “confrontational hysteria” of Seoul and US forces. South Korean officials said North Korea is already building anti-tank barriers and laying mines along the border, which began earlier in the year. The sources also said that North Korea is laying mines and removing street lights along the sections of its territory on shared roads with South Korea.