The State Department has called on North Korea to halt any actions that could risk a conflict with South Korea after Pyongyang on Tuesday blew up border roads that were once seen as a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.
"We are monitoring the situation in the DPRK in close coordination with our Republic of Korea allies," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a briefing Tuesday, referring to the official names of North Korea (DPRK) and South Korea. "We continue to urge the DPRK to reduce tensions and cease any actions that would increase the risk of conflict, and we encourage the DPRK to return to dialogue and diplomacy."
North Korea's military on Tuesday reportedly destroyed the Gyeonggi and Donghae roads near the demilitarized zone dividing the Korean Peninsula. The roads were built to improve relations between the rival nations. The explosions came after North Korea announced Oct. 9 it would sever all roads and railways linked to the South and reinforce its border.
"For our army to permanently shut off and block the southern border with the ROK, the primary hostile state and invariable principal enemy, in the current situation is a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war and defending the security of the DPRK," said the General Staff of the Korean People's Army in a statement issued by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Gyeonggi Road, which linked the Koreas in the western part of the Peninsula, was primarily used for those operating factories at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North, the Korean Times reported. Donghae Road along the east coast was used by tourists visiting North Korea's Mount Kumgang.
Tensions between the North and South have been on a razor's edge for more than a year since Pyongyang began aggressively testing its ballistic and cruise missile systems and launching satellites.
On Oct. 11, North Korea accused South Korea of launching drones that reached Pyongyang and distributed propaganda leaflets "with inflammatory rumors and rubbish tarnishing the national sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK and malignantly hurting its socialist system," according to the KCNA. North Korea said it regarded "the recent provocation of the ROK as a serious political and military provocation that deserves retaliation according to the right to self-defense, without any further explanation and necessity."
"When it comes to the actions by the DPRK, we have seen them continue to take steps that raise tensions, and we will encourage – continue to encourage them to take the opposite path, to reduce tensions, and stop any actions that could increase the risk of conflict," Miller said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.