North Korea Warns South: ‘Ready To Open Fire’

North Korea said Sunday its front-line army units are ready to launch strikes on South Korea, ramping up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones and dropped leaflets over its capital Pyongyang.

South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened.

North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again.

In a statement carried by state media Sunday, North’s Defense Ministry said that the military had issued a preliminary operation order to artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to “get fully ready to open fire.”

An unidentified ministry spokesperson said North Korea’s military ordered relevant units to prepare for situations like launching immediate strikes on unspecified enemy targets if South Korea infiltrates drones across the border again, possibly triggering fighting on the Korean Peninsula.

The spokesperson said that “grave touch-and-go military tensions are prevailing on the Korean Peninsula” because of the South Korean drone launches. In a separate statement later Sunday, the spokesperson said that the entire South Korean territory “might turn into piles of ashes” following the North’s powerful attack.

Also Sunday, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described the South Korean Defense Ministry’s reported warning that North Korea would face the end of its regime if it harms South Korean nationals as “suicidal.”

She warned Saturday that the discovery of a new South Korean drone will “certainly lead to a horrible disaster.”

North Korea often issues such fiery, blistering rhetoric in times of elevated animosities with South Korea and the United States. Ties between the two Koreas remain tense since U.S.-led diplomacy on ending North Korea’s nuclear program fell apart in 2019.

North Korea has since pushed hard to expand its nuclear arsenal and repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the U.S. with its nuclear weapons. But experts say it’s unlikely for North Korea to launch a full-blown attack because its military is outpaced by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

In a related development, South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, aligning with Kim Jong Un’s push to cut off ties with the South.

The South’s military reported that preparations for demolition were underway, including the installation of screens along the roads.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a series of provocative missile tests and South Korea and the U.S. expanding their military drills. Observers predict North Korea could perform major weapons tests ahead of next month’s U.S. presidential election to increase leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press