South Korea’s unification ministry on Thursday condemned North Korea’s decision to sever all road and rail links between the two countries, labeling it an “anti-unification” act.
The ministry criticized the move, stating it undermines the hopes for reunification shared by people in both North and South Korea.
On Wednesday, North Korea’s military announced plans to permanently block all transportation routes with the South and build new front-line defense structures.
Pyongyang described this as a step to “completely separate” its territory from South Korea, referring to the South as the “primary hostile state” and “invariable principal enemy.”
“We strongly condemn North Korea’s action as an anti-national act that disregards the aspirations of both North and South Koreans for unification,” a unification ministry official said.
The official also noted that North Korea had not provided any prior notification to the South about this decision, seemingly in line with its stance of avoiding inter-Korean contact under its “two hostile states” policy.
The two countries share transportation routes via the Gyeongui line in the west and the Donghae line along the east coast. However, North Korea has been taking steps to erase the legacy of inter-Korean cooperation, including the removal of street lights and railway sleepers along these routes.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared at a year-end meeting in December that the North no longer seeks reconciliation or unification with South Korea, further solidifying the hostile state of relations between the two nations.
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