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North Korea Says to Completely Cut Road, Rail Links to South Korea

A visitor watches North Korean side from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A visitor watches North Korean side from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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North Korea Says to Completely Cut Road, Rail Links to South Korea

A visitor watches North Korean side from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A visitor watches North Korean side from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

North Korea's Army said it will completely cut off roads and railways connected to South Korea starting from Wednesday, and fortify the areas on its side of the border, state media KCNA reported.

The announcement heralds a further escalation in activity close to the demarcation line separating the two Koreas, which had been rare in recent years until this year.

North Korea had already been installing landmines and barriers and creating wasteland along the heavily militarized border for months this year despite accidents, South Korea's military said in July.

The General Staff of the Korean People's Army said in a statement carried by KCNA that this was a response to war exercises that have been held in South Korea, which it called "the primary hostile state and invariable principal enemy,” as well as frequent visits by US strategic nuclear assets in the region.
According to Reuters, South Korea's defense ministry said in a statement that the United Nations Command (UNC) has been notified of the matter, but declined to give specifics.
South Korea is in close communication and cooperation with UNC concerning North Korea's announcement, the ministry added.
The US-led UNC is a multinational military force and oversees affairs in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war.

KCNA earlier Wednesday said the Supreme People’s Assembly met for two days this week to amend the legal ages of North Koreans for working and participating in elections. But it didn't say whether the meeting dealt with leader Kim Jong Un's order in January to rewrite the constitution to remove the goal of a peaceful Korean unification, formally designate South Korea as the country’s “invariable principal enemy” and define the North’s sovereign, territorial sphere.
According to The Associated Press, some experts say North Korea might have delayed the constitutional revision but others speculated it amended the constitution without announcing it because of its sensitivity.
Kim's order stunned many North Korea watchers because it was seen as breaking away with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms. Experts say Kim likely aims to diminish South Korea’s voice in the regional nuclear standoff and seek direct dealings with the US. They say Kim also likely hopes to diminish South Korean cultural influence and bolster his rule at home.

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Time to Evacuate Is Running Out as Hurricane Milton Closes in on Florida

Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Time to Evacuate Is Running Out as Hurricane Milton Closes in on Florida

Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)
Parts of the city are mostly empty as Hurricane Milton approaches on October 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images via AFP)

Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay after millions were ordered to evacuate and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.

The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a monstrous Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday.

Milton was centered early Wednesday about 360 miles (580 kilometers) southwest of Tampa with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kmh), the National Hurricane Center reported.

Forecasters predicted the storm will retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida on Thursday on a path east toward the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane's precise track remained uncertain, as forecasters Tuesday evening nudged its projected path slightly south of Tampa.

Thousands of fleeing cars clogged Florida's highways ahead of the storm, but time for evacuations was running out Wednesday. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor noted that up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) of storm surge forecast for her city would be deep enough to swallow an entire house.

“So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in,” Castor said.

Milton targets communities still reeling two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded streets and homes in western Florida along its devasting march that left at least 230 dead across the South.

In the bayside town of Punta Gorda, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Tampa, streets were still filled Tuesday with 5-foot (1.5-meter) piles of soggy furniture, clothing, books, appliances and other trash dragged from damaged homes.

Many homes sat vacant, but accountant and art collector Scott Joiner remained on the second floor of the New Orleans-style home he built 17 years ago. Joiner said bull sharks swam in the flooded streets and a neighbor had to be rescued by canoe when Helene passed and flooded the first floor of his home.

“Water is a blessing to have,” Joiner said, “but it is very deadly.”

Joiner said he planned to go another round and ride out Milton, despite the risk.

Authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders across 11 Florida counties with a combined population of about 5.9 million people, according to US Census Bureau estimates.

Officials have warned that anyone staying behind must fend for themselves, as first responders are not expected to risk their lives attempting rescues at the height of the storm.

In Riverview, south of Tampa, several drivers waiting in a long line for fuel Tuesday said they had no plans to evacuate.

“I think we’ll just hang, you know — tough it out,” said Martin Oakes, of nearby Apollo Beach. “We got shutters up. The house is all ready. So this is sort of the last piece of the puzzle.”

Others weren't taking any chances after Helene.

On Anna Marie Island along the southern edge of Tampa Bay, Evan Purcell packed up his father’s ashes and was trying to catch his 9-year-old cat, McKenzie, as he prepared to leave Tuesday. Helene left him with thousands of dollars in damage when his home flooded. He feared Milton might take the rest.

“I’m still in shock over the first one and here comes round two,” Purcell said. “I just have a pit in my stomach about this one.”

State and local governments scrambled ahead of the storm to remove piles of debris left in Helene's wake, fearing that the oncoming hurricane would turn loose wreckage into flying missiles. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state deployed over 300 dump trucks that had removed 1,300 loads of debris.

In Mexico, authorities in the state of Yucatan reported minor damage from Milton as it passed just offshore. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz said. He did not report any deaths or injuries.