North Korea announced that it had ordered military units near the South Korean border to be prepared to open fire, accusing the South of sending unmanned drones carrying propaganda leaflets into Pyongyang.
Relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated significantly, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un earlier this year declaring South Korea as the North’s “principal enemy.”
On Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), citing a statement from North Korea’s defense ministry, reported that “the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) issued a preliminary operation order on October 12 to combined artillery units along the border, instructing them to be fully ready to fire.”
The order placed eight artillery brigades on standby, fully armed at wartime strength, until Sunday at 8 p.m. (1100 GMT).
Other military units were also ordered to remain on high alert and intensify surveillance, with reinforced anti-air observation posts in Pyongyang.
North Korea’s actions followed accusations that South Korea had sent drones carrying anti-regime propaganda leaflets into Pyongyang on October 3, and again on Wednesday and Thursday of the previous week.
KCNA reported that the leaflets contained “inflammatory rumors and rubbish,” and the North’s foreign ministry condemned the drone flights as a “military attack” and an “unforgivable grave provocation.”
While South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun initially denied the allegations, the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff later stated they “cannot confirm whether the North Korean claims are true or not.” Last week, the North Korean military threatened to “permanently shut off and block the southern border” in response to the alleged provocations.
