North Korea orders artillery readiness amid drone tensions
The General Staff of the North Korean People's Army has issued a directive to the artillery corps near the border with South Korea to prepare for full-scale combat operations. This follows the South's use of drones to drop propaganda leaflets.
North Korea's Ministry of National Defence spokesperson stated that the preparatory directive included orders to "transfer eight artillery brigades fully armed to the wartime readiness level to a firing standby by 8 p.m. on Sunday and complete various operation security tasks."
Accusations against South Korea
North Korean authorities accused South Korea on Friday of "infiltrating" Pyongyang using drones. An official statement from the KCNA agency mentioned that the military is ready to use "all methods of attack" in the event of another provocation. Seoul declared that it is unable to confirm the truthfulness of these allegations.
The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement accusing South Korea of "committing a serious act of political and military provocation" by sending unmanned aerial vehicles into the Pyongyang area at night. The flights took place on the 3rd, 9th, and 10th of October and included the dropping of propaganda materials hostile to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, according to KCNA reports.
Media reports suggest that the leaflets contained information about the impending downfall of the North Korean regime.
Statements and reactions
On Friday, the South Korean military stated that it could not confirm the truthfulness of North Korea's allegations. During a parliamentary hearing, Defence Minister Kim Jong Hjun said that the South "did not do that." He added that the situation is being assessed but did not provide further details.
"It is a blatant violation of sacred national sovereignty and security and a violent violation of international law. We regard the Republic of Korea's provocation as a serious political and military provocation that must be retaliated according to the right to self-defence," stated the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement quoted by the KCNA.
North Korean authorities have issued Seoul an ultimatum, "if the Republic of Korea conducts another provocative act of invading drones into the territory of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, there will be no such warning again and we will immediately take action."
Evidence presented by Pyongyang
South Korean agency Yonhap, via KCNA, published a still image of the night sky showing two white spots. The larger, triangular one is labelled "drone," and the smaller one "leaflet package." The bottom right corner shows the date "2024/10/09" and the time "1:13:56 AM."
Situation at the border
For years, South Korean organisations and activists advocating for human rights in North Korea have been sending balloons with leaflets containing critical content about the dictatorship and information about democracy in the South. These packages include food, medicine, memory cards with South Korean films and music, and even Bibles. Pyongyang has responded to these actions by sending over 5,000 balloons with bags full of rubbish since the end of May.
History of the conflict
Relations between North and South Korea are currently at their worst in decades. The two countries have been in a state of war for over 70 years, as the armed conflict from 1950 to 1953 ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Late last year, Kim Jong Un ordered the acceleration of preparations for "a war that could start at any moment." Seoul suspended a 2018 military agreement with Pyongyang in early June to ease military tensions.
