While the moves are likely a pressure tactic, it is unclear how they will affect relations with South Korea in reality, as cross-border traffic has been suspended for years.
North Korea‘s military said it will completely halt road and rail traffic linked to South Korea and reinforce relevant areas on its side with strong defense structures.
The North Korean military calls them “self-defense measures to stop the war and defend the security of North Korea.” It claims that “hostile forces are becoming more reckless in their confrontational hysteria.”
South Korean officials have previously said that North Korea has installed anti-tank barriers and reinforced roads on its side of the border since April, possibly in an effort to strengthen its frontline security position and prevent soldiers and civilians from defecting to South Korea.
North Korea’s KCNA news agency earlier reported that the Supreme People’s Assembly held a two-day meeting this week to amend the age at which North Koreans are allowed to work and vote. But the agency did not say whether the meeting also discussed the country’s leader Kim Jong-un’s order in January to revise the constitution to remove the goal of peaceful inter-Korean reunification and officially designate South Korea as the country’s “unchanging arch-enemy.”
Some experts suggest that North Korea may have postponed the revision of the constitution, while others believe that changes have already been made to the constitution but have not been publicly announced.
Kim’s order stunned many North Korea watchers because it was seen as contradicting his predecessors’ long-cherished dreams of a unified Korea on North Korea’s terms. Experts say Kim’s goal is likely to reduce South Korea’s influence in the regional nuclear conflict and seek direct ties with the United States. They also suggest that Kim is likely hoping to reduce the influence of South Korean culture and consolidate his power at home.