DPRK to cut off roads, railways linked to ROK

SEOUL — The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will completely cut off roads and railways connected to the Republic of Korea beginning Wednesday amid the precarious situation on the Korean Peninsula, the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, or KPA, was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency as saying.

The KPA General Staff said the gravity of the situation on the peninsula cannot be overlooked, with daily military exercises in the ROK region near the DPRK's southern border, the frequent presence of US strategic nuclear assets, and the repeated talk about the "end of the regime" in the DPRK, said the report.

The acute military situation on the peninsula requires the DPRK armed forces to take stronger measures to effectively defend national security, it added.

"To this end, a project will be launched first on Oct 9 to completely cut off roads and railways connected to the Republic of Korea and fortify the relevant areas of our side with strong defense structures," the report said.

The KPA General Staff said the move is "a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war and defending the security of the DPRK".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that China pays attention to the developments on the Korean Peninsula.

"We believe that it's in line with the common interests of all parties to maintain peace and stability of the peninsula and promote the political settlement process," Mao told a regular news briefing.

"This is also the common aspiration of the international community, and needs joint efforts from all parties," she said.

Meanwhile, the DPRK appointed No Kwang-chol as the country's new defense minister during a key session of the Supreme People's Assembly held in Pyongyang from Monday to Tuesday, KCNA reported.

The meeting also made some other new personnel appointments including minister of state construction control and chairman of the State Commission of Science and Technology, the KCNA said.

Wang Qingyun in Beijing contributed to this story.

Xinhua