North Korea blows up inter-Korean road, rail lines near border

Seoul (Reuters): North Korea blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas on Tuesday, prompting South Korea's military to fire warning shots.

Pyongyang said last week it would cut off the inter-Korean roads and railways entirely and further fortify the areas on its side of the border as part of its push for a "two-state" system scrapping its longstanding goal of unification.

At around midday on Tuesday, some northern parts of road and rail lines connected to the South were destroyed, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Seoul's unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, condemned the incident as a clear violation of past inter-Korean agreements, calling it "highly abnormal."

"It is deplorable that North Korea is repeatedly conducting such regressive behaviour," ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam told a briefing.

Tensions mounted after the North last week accused Seoul of sending drones over Pyongyang. North Korea said the drones scattered a "huge number" of anti-North leaflets, and Kim Yo Jong, leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister, warned on Tuesday that Seoul would "pay a dear price".

South Korea's government has declined to say whether the South Korean military or civilians had flown the alleged drones.

The two Koreas have also clashed over balloons of trash floated since May from North Korea. Pyongyang has said the launches are a response to balloons sent by anti-regime activists in the South.

After Tuesday's demolitions, video released by the South's military showed an explosion and a plume of smoke rising above an area of road where the North had put up a black barrier.

It also showed several dump trucks and earth-movers approaching with a group of North Korean military officials observing and guiding the vehicles.

In response to the blasts, the South's military fired warning shots south of the military demarcation line, although there was no damage on Seoul's side of the border, it said.