SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday it has discovered signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy northern parts of inter-Korean roads that are no longer in use as the rivals are engaged in rising tensions over North Korea’s claim that South Korean roads are no longer in use. Korea flew drones over its territory.

Destroying the roads would be in line with the leader Kim Jong-un’s attack to sever ties with South Korea, formally affirming it as his country’s main enemy and abandoning the North’s decades-long goal of pursuing peaceful Korean unification.

The South Korean military said Monday it observed several activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for road demolitions, such as installing fencing.

“They have installed screens on the roads and are working behind those screens as they prepare to blow up the roads,” Lee Sung Joon, spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolition could take place as soon as Monday.

Lee said the South Korean military believes the North could also try one space rocket, which is seen by the UN as a banned test of long-range missile technology. Lee said North Korea may carry out unspecified “minor provocations” to increase pressure on Seoul.

It is not clear how many sections of road North Korea would destroy.

The development comes as North Korea recently accused South Korea of ​​launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force. if it were to happen again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it has sent drones, but warned it would severely punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is compromised.

In a statement Sunday, the Northern Ministry of Defense said the military had ordered it artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to “fully prepare to open fire.” The spokesman said the entire South Korean territory “could turn into piles of ash” after the North’s powerful attack.

North Korea often emits bellicose rhetoric when hostility with its rivals increases. Experts say North Korea is highly unlikely to launch large-scale, preemptive strikes because its military is outnumbered by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

Koo Byoungsam, a spokesman for South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, said on Monday that North Korea’s accusation over South Korean drone flights was likely aimed at creating tensions to strengthen internal unity while easing instability in South Korea. Korea to stir up. Koo said North Korea cannot win what it wants from South Korea through threats and provocations.

Some observers say anti-Pyongyang activists may have sent drones this month, but that is not the case North Korea argues the South Korean government still cannot escape its responsibility as it must have been aware of such steps.

In 2022, South Korea sent surveillance drones across the border into North Korea after accusing North Korea of ​​flying drones into South Korea for the first time in five years.

Last week, North Korea said it would permanently block the blockade border with South Korea and build frontline defense structures to deal with the “confrontational hysteria” of South Korean and US forces. It cited several military exercises in South Korea and the temporary deployment of powerful US military assets in South Korea.

South Korean officials said North Korea has already added anti-tank barriers, planted mines and fortified roads on its side of the border since earlier this year, in a likely effort to strengthen its frontline security posture and prevent its soldiers from and citizens defect. to South Korea.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a series of provocative missile tests and South Korea and the US expanding military exercises. Observers say North Korea could deliver major weapons tests in the run-up to next month’s US presidential elections, to increase his influence on future diplomacy with the Americans.

In January, Kim Jong-un ordered the revision of the constitution of North Korea to eliminate the goal of peaceful Korean unification, formally designate South Korea as the country’s “immutable principal enemy” and define the North’s sovereign, territorial sphere.

Kim’s order surprised many North Korean watchers because it was seen as a break with his predecessors’ long-held dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North’s terms. Experts say Kim likely wants to reduce South Korea’s voice in the regional nuclear standoff and seek direct ties with the US. They say Kim is also likely hoping to reduce South Korean cultural influence and strengthen his rule at home.