North Korea’s army said it will take a “substantial military step” to completely cut off its territory from South Korea on Wednesday, after months of fortifying its heavily armed border.

North Korea says it will permanently block its border with South Korea and boost its front-line defense posture to cope with “confrontational hysteria” by South Korean and U.S. forces, while not annou

North Korea will sever road and railway access to South Korea from Wednesday 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.