This captured image from a surveillance camera recording shows North Korean soldiers blowing up a part of Gyeongui Road, a road linked to South Korea on the western side of the Korean Peninsula, Tuesday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff

North Korea blew up the northern sections of two inter-Korean roads, Tuesday, in an apparent attempt to sever all ties with South Korea and formalize a hostile, two-state system on the Korean Peninsula.

“North Korea exploded parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) at around noon,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a message sent to reporters.

Gyeongui Road, which linked the two Koreas in the western part of the country, was primarily used by businesspeople operating factories at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North. Meanwhile, Donghae Road along the east coast was utilized by tourists visiting North Korea's Mount Geumgang.

The JCS said it fired several shots south of the MDL after the road explosions, adding it has intensified its readiness and surveillance posture. South Korea's military had already observed on Monday that Pyongyang was preparing to destroy the road.

The explosions came after North Korea announced on Oct. 9 that it would completely sever all roads and railways linked to South Korea and reinforce its border.

“For our army to permanently shut off and block the southern border with the ROK, the primary hostile state and our invariable principal enemy, in the current situation is a self-defensive measure for preventing war and safeguarding the security of the DPRK," the General Staff of the North Korean People's Army said at the time in a statement reported by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). ROK refers to the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name, while DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's formal name.

Experts noted that the destruction of land routes linked to the South follows Pyongyang's warning of a complete blockade of the border with Seoul.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated after North Korea accused South Korea of sending drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times in recent days. While South Korea has not confirmed whether it deployed drones, it has warned that it will respond decisively if the safety of its citizens is threatened

“The alleged drone incursions may have accelerated the detonations, but North Korea has been adamant about cutting off all ties with South Korea as it seeks to abandon its objective to seek peaceful unification. As the North ordered artillery units near the border to prepare for immediate fire, the situation is feared to escalate into armed conflict,” Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said.

This captured image from a surveillance camera recording shows North Korean soldiers blowing up a part of Donghae Road, a road linked to South Korea on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, Tuesday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff

Amid the escalating tensions, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened a high-level national security meeting to direct plans for immediate military action in response to South Korea's alleged infiltration of drones, according to KCNA, Tuesday.

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korea's leader, issued statements for three consecutive days, the latest of which claimed that the U.S. should be held responsible for Seoul's drone incursion.

“There are not many options for North Korea when inter-Korean tensions are rapidly escalating,” said Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. “ All it wanted was a promise from the South that they would stop sending unmanned drones, but that didn't work as the North had anticipated. Pyongyang mentioned a military option during its heated war of words with Seoul, so it cannot take it back. Given that, Kim Yo-jong's latest statement of suddenly blaming the U.S. for the crisis carries significance. I think it wants the U.S. to persuade South Korea.”

Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam speaks during a press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The Ministry of Unification strongly condemned the destruction of the roads, saying that it represents a clear violation of the inter-Korean agreement.

“North Korea's destruction of the northern parts of Gyeongui and Donghae roads is a clear violation of the inter-Korean agreement. It's deplorable that North Korea has repeated its regressive behavior following its destruction of the (inter-Korean) liaison office four years ago. The government has made it clear that the North is fully responsible for all incidents that may occur because of this (explosion),” it said in a statement.

Since the North Korean leader characterized inter-Korean relations as those "between two states hostile to each other" at a year-end party meeting last year, the North has been concentrating on eliminating references to unification.

North Korea has been installing mines and removing street lights along its side of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads in an apparent bid to completely shut down the routes once regarded as symbols of inter-Korean cooperation and exchange.