North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong on Friday accused South Korea of seeking to inflame tensions by blaming Pyongyang for a recent explosion at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), insisting that Pyongyang’s goal is to sever all ties with Seoul and close its border so tightly that “even wild animals” cannot cross.

In a statement issued through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim dismissed Seoul’s “absurd” conclusion that the Sept. 21 explosion in the western sector of the DMZ was caused by North Korea’s “secret and intentional laying of mines,” repeating her previous characterization