Pyongyang to 'permanently' shut border with South Korea

Seoul: North Korea s army said on Wednesday it was moving to permanently shut off and block the southern border with the South and had informed the...

Seoul: North Korea's army said on Wednesday it was moving to "permanently shut off and block the southern border" with the South and had informed the US military to prevent an accidental clash.

Pyongyang said in a statement it would "cut off roads and railways" that might have made travel between the two Koreas possible.

However, it was largely a symbolic gesture because cross-border exchanges and travel between North and South Korea have been halted for years.

Inter-Korean relations are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang closing agencies dedicated to reunification and declaring South Korea its "principal enemy".

Some analysts thought the announcement could be a potential first step towards more serious action, such as amending the North's constitution to declare a new maritime border south of the current de facto line.