DPRK to cut off roads, railways connected to ROK

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will completely cut off roads and railways connected to the Republic of Korea (ROK) beginning Wednesday amid the precarious situation on the Korean Peninsula, the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying.

The KPA General Staff stressed that the gravity of the situation on the peninsula can not be overlooked, with daily military exercises in the ROK region near the DPRK's southern border, the frequent presence of US strategic nuclear assets, and the repeated talk about the "end of the regime" in the DPRK, said the report.

The acute military situation on the peninsula requires the DPRK armed forces to take stronger measures to effectively defend national security, it added.

"To this end, a project will be launched first on Oct 9 to completely cut off roads and railways connected to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and fortify the relevant areas of our side with strong defense structures," the report said.

The KPA General Staff said the move is "a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war and defending the security of the DPRK".