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N.Korea plans to curb border crossings with South
rth Korea on Wednesday said it will ban land crossings at its border with South Korea starting next month because of what it calls the South's confrontational stance.
- Agencies
- Published: 10:36 November 12, 2008
Seoul: North Korea on Wednesday said it will ban land crossings at its border with South Korea starting next month because of what it calls the South's confrontational stance.
The North's military is taking action to "restrict and cut off all the overland passage" across the frontier beginning December 1, the country's official Korean Central News Agency said. The move comes amid heightened tensions on the peninsula and repeated accusations from the North that Seoul's conservative government is engaging in "confrontational" activities.
Prohibiting passage through the Demilitarised Zone dividing the two Koreas primarily would affect South Koreans working in an inter-Korean business complex in Kaesong and tours to the ancient city just across the border in the North.
The KCNA report gave no indication as to how long the ban would remain in place.
KCNA said the North's military informed the South of the decision to halt the border passages earlier Wednesday, citing what it called Seoul's policy of confrontation.
"Such (a) stand and attitude are leading to the grave, wanton violation of all the north-south agreements," the report said.
The North has stepped up the rhetoric against the South in recent weeks, warning that it will attack South Korea and reduce it to "debris" if Seoul continues what it says are confrontational activities against the communist country.
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