Seoul military says conducts 'counter-fire'

SEOUL: South Korea's military said it conducted "counter-fire" operations on Tuesday near the heavily fortified border with the North after Pyongyang's military blew up sections of roads linking the two countries. After North Korea "conducted an explosive operation aimed at blocking the connection roads", Seoul's military "conducted counter-fire in areas south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the border that bisects the peninsula.

Pyongyang's military last week vowed to permanently seal its southern border after spending months laying mines and building anti-tank barriers in the wake of leader Kim Jong Un declaring the South his country's "principal enemy". The North also accused Seoul of using drones to drop anti-regime propaganda leaflets on the capital Pyongyang, with Kim convening a security meeting to direct a plan of "immediate military action" in response, state media reported Tuesday. — AFP