NEW DELHI: North Korea's military announced plans to "permanently shut off and block the southern border" with South Korea. Pyongyang, as per reports, has communicated this move to the US military in an effort to prevent accidental clashes. 

In a statement, the nation also declared the intention to "cut off roads and railways" that might have made travel between the two nations possible. Cross-border travel between the two nations has already been halted for years, which means this gesture is largely symbolic.

Relations between North and South Korea have reached new lows in recent years, with Pyongyang shutting down reunification agencies and labelling South Korea as its "principal enemy." 

Some analysts, as per AFP, believe the North's latest move could be a precursor to more serious actions, such as North Korea altering its constitution to redefine the maritime border with the South. However, despite expectations that North Korea might scrap a 1991 inter-Korean agreement at its recent parliamentary session, state media made no mention of this.

Hours after the parliamentary session, North Korea's military stated it would take "a substantial military step" to fortify the border and "completely cut off roads and railways connected to the ROK (South Korea) and fortify the relevant areas of our side with strong defence structures".

The border between North and South Korea is one of the world's most militarised, but recent reports suggest North Korea has been laying landmines and building barriers in the area. 

South Korea has condemned the move as a "desperate measure" reflecting the "insecurities of the failed Kim Jong Un regime", warning that the North's actions would "lead to even harsher isolation" and warned it would "never stand idly by" if Pyongyang sought to change "the status quo".