North Korea has announced plans to block road and railway access to South Korea from today, this in a bid to “completely separate” the two countries.

Its military said the North would “permanently shut off and block the southern border” and fortify areas on its side.

The Korean People’s Army (KPA) described the move as “a self-defensive measure for inhibiting war”, claiming it was in response to war exercises in South Korea and the frequent presence of American nuclear assets in the region.

The declaration is a largely symbolic step by Pyongyang as roads and railways leading from North Korea to the South are rarely used, and have been incrementally dismantled by North Korean authorities over the past year.

It also comes amid a broader push by Pyongyang to change how it relates to the South, and follows a string of inflammatory incidents that have wounded relations between the two countries.