PYONGYANG: North Korea said on Sunday that it had ordered its military units stationed near the border with South Korea to prepare to open fire, accusing the South of sending drones into its airspace to drop propaganda leaflets.
The North claims the drones carried anti-regime material into the capital, Pyongyang, a move it deemed a grave provocation.
In a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North’s defense ministry said the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) issued a preliminary operation order on October 12, instructing artillery units near the border to be on high alert and ready to fire.
“Eight artillery brigades fully armed at full wartime strength” were placed on standby until 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Sunday, KCNA reported.
North Korea claims that South Korea had sent unmanned drones into its airspace on three separate occasions—on October 3, and again on Wednesday and Thursday last week. These drones allegedly carried leaflets containing “inflammatory rumors and rubbish” that criticized Kim Jong Un’s regime.
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Flying drones over North Korean territory “could be considered a military attack,” the North’s foreign ministry said, labeling the incident an “intolerable and unforgivable grave provocation.”
South Korean defense officials have denied the North’s accusations. Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun initially dismissed the claims, but the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff later issued a more cautious response, stating they “cannot confirm whether the North Korean allegations are true or not.”
This latest development has further strained relations between the two Koreas, which have been deteriorating for months. Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared South Korea to be his country’s “principal enemy”.
Last week, North Korea’s military vowed to “permanently shut off and block the southern border,” signaling growing tension between the two nations.
