North Korea set to blow up cross-border roads with South amid drone row, Seoul says

SEOUL — North Korea is getting ready to blow up roads that cross the heavily militarised border with South Korea, Seoul said on Monday (Oct 14), amid an escalating war of words after the North accused its rival of sending drones over its capital Pyongyang.

North Korean troops were working under camouflage on the roads on its side of the border near the west and east coasts that are likely preparations to blow up the roads, possibly as early as on Monday, South Korea's military spokesman said.

Last week, North Korea's Army said it would completely cut roads and railways connected to South Korea and fortify the areas on its side of the border, state media KCNA reported.

Separately, North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of sending drones to scatter a "huge number" of anti-North leaflets over Pyongyang, in what it called a political and military provocation that could lead to armed conflict.

Lee Sung-jun, a spokesman for the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined on Monday to answer questions over whether the South Korean military or civilians flew the drones.

In further statements over the weekend, North Korea warned of a "horrible disaster" if South Korean drones were again found to be flying over Pyongyang. On Sunday, it said it has put eight fully armed artillery units at the border "on standby to open fire."

South Korea's military has said its refusal to answer questions on the drones is because addressing what the North has alleged would be to get drawn into a tactic by Pyongyang to fabricate excuses for provocations.

South Korea has sought to boost its anti-drone defences since 2022, Lee said, when five North Korean drones entered its airspace and flew over the capital Seoul for several hours.

Lee Kyoung-haing,