ALBAWABA - The Korean People's Army General Staff said today, Sunday, that artillery units had been positioned close to the border in a heightened state of readiness to fire, marking a dramatic increase in tensions.
A spokesman for North Korea's Ministry of Defense told the Korean Central News Agency that on October 12, the General Staff issued an operational directive for artillery batteries along the border to be ready for any possible fire.
In a stern declaration, the DPRK's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "We will not hesitate to pull the trigger to protect our sovereignty and security." Citing recent occurrences such as the firing of a drone into Pyongyang, the statement accused South Korea of participating in "provocative schemes" that had passed critical boundaries.
South Korea, which the North Korean government referred to as a "rogue state," has carried out many drone invasions, including one on October 10 when an unmanned aerial vehicle distributed anti-DPRK propaganda pamphlets in the sky above Pyongyang. Claiming that these acts are an effort to weaken North Korea's socialist system and denigrate its official authority, the statement denounced them as horrible crimes.
The Foreign Ministry went on to say that South Korea's actions constitute a grave breach of international law in addition to a flagrant violation of North Korean sovereignty. "Such provocations will not go unpunished, and South Korea will pay a heavy price for its aggression," the statement said.
The North Korean leadership reaffirmed that it would take swift, forceful military action against anybody who violated its airspace. In a final and grave threat to Seoul, the ministry underlined, "We are fully prepared to deploy all offensive assets to eliminate military structures near the southern border and within South Korean territory."
Pyongyang said, "South Korea will suffer severe repercussions if it persists in its provocations and ignores our ultimatum," as it wrapped off its threat. There is no longer a safe position for the trigger.
