South Korea fires warning shots after North blows up roads

North Korea blew up the northern parts of inter-Korean roads, amid rising tensions over the North's claim that South Korea flew drones over its capital.

South Korea's military said it fired warning shots near its heavily fortified border on Tuesday after North Korean forces reportedly destroyed roads along the border.

It comes days after the North vowed to permanently seal off its southern border.

What did Seoul say about the roads?

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Pyongyang "conducted an explosive operation aimed at blocking the connection roads" on Tuesday.

As a response, the South Korean military said it "conducted counter-fire in areas south of the military demarcation line."

South Korea's military provided a video that showed a cloud of white and gray smoke emerging from an explosion at a road near the border town of Kaesong. Another video showed smoke emerging from a coastal road near the eastern border.

Although the roads and railways connecting the two countries have long been shut down, North Korean state media reported that the new measures were aimed at safeguarding national security and preventing war.

Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the South his country's "principal enemy" and since then, the regime has laid fresh mines, erected anti-tank barriers, and deployed missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads along the already heavily fortified border.

Kim convenes meetings over drones

On Saturday, North Korea accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital Pyongyang. South Korea's military initially denied deploying the drones but has not commented on the matter since.

The North Korean leader's influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, warned on Sunday of a "horrible disaster" if more drones are detected.

In response, Kim held a security meeting on Monday in order to be briefed on "the case of [the] enemy's serious provocation that violated the sovereignty" of North Korea.

The briefing was intended to "set forth the direction of immediate military action," North Korea's state-controlled KCNA news agency reported.

China calls for de-escalation

Following the dual incidents, China called for both sides on the Korean peninsula to avoid a "further escalation."

"Tensions on the peninsula do not serve the common interests of all parties," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing. "The priority is to avoid further escalation of conflicts."

Beijing, which is North Korea's most important ally and economic benefactor, said it was "paying attention to the development of the peninsula's situation."

"China's position on maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula and promoting a political solution to the peninsula issue remains unchanged," Mao added. "We also hope that all parties will make joint efforts toward this goal."

jcg/zc (Reuters, AP, dpa)