North Korea will cut road and rail links to South Korea from Wednesday in a bid to “completely separate” the two countries.

Its military said the North would “permanently seal off and blockade the southern border” and fortify areas on its side.

The Korean People's Army (KPA) described the move as “a self-defense measure to prevent war” and claimed it was in response to war exercises in South Korea and the frequent presence of American nuclear facilities in the region.

It marks an escalation of hostility at a time when tensions between the Koreas have reached their highest level in years.

“The acute military situation on the Korean Peninsula requires the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) armed forces to take more decisive and stronger measures to more credibly defend national security,” the KPA said in a report published by state media outlet KCNA.

The statement is a largely symbolic move by Pyongyang. Roads and railways leading from North Korea to the South are rarely used and have been gradually dismantled by North Korean authorities over the past year.

It also comes amid a broader push by Pyongyang to change its relationship with the South and follows a series of inflammatory incidents that have worsened relations between the two countries.

These incidents ranged from missile tests to hundreds of garbage balloons being sent across North Korea's southern border.

Notably, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced in early 2023 that he no longer sought reunification with the South, raising concerns that there could be a resurgence of war on the Korean peninsula.

“I think it is necessary to revise some contents of the DPRK Constitution,” Kim said at a meeting of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) in January.

“In my opinion, it is necessary to delete expressions such as 'northern half' and 'independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity' in the Constitution,” he added, suggesting that the Constitution be revised “in the next session.” should.

The next meeting took place this week and ended on Tuesday. But although many observers had expected Pyongyang to confirm Kim's previous statements and make constitutional changes to unification and border policies, no such changes were made public.

An analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification think tank suggested that Pyongyang may wait for the outcome of the U.S. election before making any concrete decisions.

Officials may “consider adjusting the scope of constitutional revisions to align with the direction of the new (US) administration,” Hong Min told AFP.

It is unclear whether North Korea's decision to cut off all roads and railways connecting it to the South stemmed from discussions during the SPA meeting.