( News Focus ) N . Korea voices frustration over ties , seeks to close ranks through S . Korea bashing : expertsBy Koh Byung - joon SEOUL , June 9 ( Yonhap ) -- North Korea ' s decision to cut off all inter - Korean communication lines appears aimed at voicing its pent - up frustration over South Korea ' s failure of advancing inter - Korean relations and also intended to strengthen its bargaining power in cross - border issues , experts said Tuesday . The latest hard - line move is also seen as efforts to close ranks and rally domestic support behind the Kim Jong - un regime through " South Korea bashing " as Pyongyang must be facing a double whammy of growing its anemic economy under the strain of global sanctions and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic , they said . Earlier in the day , North Korea announced it will cut off all inter - Korean communications lines at noon Tuesday , including the hotline between the North ' s ruling Workers ' Party and the South ' s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae . The move comes days after North Korea vowed to abolish an inter - Korean liaison office in the North ' s border town of Kaesong and completely shut down other major cross - border programs , denouncing leaflet - sending from South Korea as a hostile act breaching a series of peace agreements between the two sides . The North stressed the decisions will be the first in a series of steps against South Korea and that the " work towards the South should thoroughly turn into the one against enemy . " " The latest move appears to be in line with North Korea ' s strong and long - held displeasure with the stalemated inter - Korean relations and intended to strengthen domestic unity through South Korea bashing and rally support behind the Kim Jong - un regime , " said Kim Yong - hyun , a North Korean studies professor at Dongguk University in Seoul . " The decision could have also reflected the growing fatigue brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and its current economic situations , " he added . " For all of them , the North appears to have determined that it is necessary to do something to ramp up loyalty for the Kim Jong - un regime , and it used the leaflet issue as a chance to do that . " Kim Yo - jong , sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong - un ( Yonhap ) The North has been vehemently protesting propaganda leaflets since last week . On Friday , the North ' s United Front Department handling inter - Korean affairs issued a statement , saying it will abolish the liaison office in the first in a series of measures that Kim Yo - jong , the sister of leader Kim Jong - un , threatened a day earlier to take unless Seoul stops the sending of such leaflets . She also warned of dismantling a now - shuttered industrial park in Kaesong and scrapping a military tension reduction agreement signed in 2018 , calling for a halt to all hostilities along the border . North Korea vowed to put those threats into action , even though South Korea promised to take legislative measures to ban such activity . The North derided Seoul ' s envisioned move as " a little more advanced excuses . " North Korean defectors and conservative activists have occasionally sent a large number of leaflets for more than a decade via giant balloons sharply criticizing the communist regime and its leader . These are often sent with US $ 1 bills and USB memory sticks to get more North Koreans to pick up the leaflets . South Korea ' s government has advised against sending such leaflets , but the defectors have often ignored such an appeal , citing their right to freedom of expression . North Korea has strongly bristled at anti - Pyongyang leaflets , seeing them as a serious hostile act aimed at undermining the authority of its leaders . Experts say that North Korea ' s latest move to cut off communication lines appears to be part of a stance it has long devised against South Korea apparently in frustration over the prospect of getting little from maintaining friendly inter - Korean relations in denuclearization talks with Washington and cross - border projects . " North Korea appears to have long thought about the move since it apparently devised a hard - line stance against South Korea when Kim Jong - un climbed up Mount Paekdu in October last year , " Hong Min , a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification , said . This photo , released by the Korean Central News Agency on Oct . 16 , 2019 , shows North Korean leader Kim Jong - un riding a white horse up a snow - covered Mount Paektu , the country ' s highest peak on the border with China , after inspecting construction sites at the foot of the mountain . ( For Use Only in the Republic of Korea . No Redistribution ) ( Yonhap ) He referred to Kim ' s horse riding up the North ' s most scared mountain in October . The leader is known to travel to the mountain before making important policies . About one month after the trip , he demanded the withdrawal of all South Korea - built assets in the Mount Kumgang resort on its east coast , which had been touted as a symbol in inter - Korean reconciliation and cooperation . The demand augured ill for cross - border ties , which had been buoyed by three inter - Korean summits held between South Korean President Moon Jae - in and North Korean leader Kim in 2018 . Inter - Korean relations , however , have remained chilly since a no - deal summit in February last year between Pyongyang and Washington . North Korea has balked at all of South Korea ' s offers for talks and cooperation , frequently complaining about Seoul ' s foot - dragging for fear of possible violations of sanctions . Yang Moo - jin , a professor at the University of North Korean Studies , said the prospect for inter - Korean relations will likely remain bleak for the time being as North Korea appears to be placing its ties with the South on the back burner . " As has been the case in the past , the North tends to sever communication lines as a first step in a transition to a hawkish stance , " he said . " It appears to be trying to have some period of cooling off with South Korea by using the leaflet issue as an excuse . " Still , some observers say there might be a silver lining in that Kim Yo - jong has spearheaded South Korea bashing , with leader Kim remaining out of picture altogether . They see it as a signal for " room " for Pyongyang to make a quick turnaround in future inter - Korean relations . " Kim Jong - un ' s stepping aside suggests the North could make a last - minute turnaround , saying there still remain friendly ties between the leaders of the two Koreas , " said Hong , the research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification . " It seems that North Korea is taking a two - track approach , with Kim Yo - jong leading the criticism and Kim Jong - un staying on the sidelines in inter - Korean affairs . " kokobj @ yna . co . kr ( END )