North Korea to cut off all roads, railway connections with South Korea

North Korea on Wednesday said that it would cut off roads and railway connections with South Korea amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In a statement, the General Staff of North Korea's army said that this was a response to war exercises in South Korea and frequent visits by US strategic nuclear assets in the region, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

“The hostile forces are getting ever more reckless in their confrontational hysteria, openly revealing their scheme to use armed forces in violation of the sovereignty of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea). This pushes the grave security situation of the Korean peninsula to a more unpredictable phase,” the statement said.

In response to the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, it said that Pyongyang is completely cutting off roads and railways connected to South Korea and fortifying the relevant areas of their side with strong defense structures, starting from Wednesday.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula further grew in recent months after South Korea and the US held joint military exercises and North Korea launched missiles.

Last month, North Korea publicly disclosed a uranium enrichment facility for the first time, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, as leader Kim Jong Un called for an expansion of the country's nuclear capabilities.

Later, Pyongyang warned that Seoul's ports and military bases are "not safe" after a US submarine docked in South Korea.

Responding to North Korean threats, South Korean President Yoon Sul Yeol also warned earlier this month that North Korea would face the end of its regime if Pyongyang attempted to use nuclear weapons against his country.