North Korea Pledges to Defend State From Provocations in the South

A rally held by the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the capital of Pyongyang. The socialist state tested short-range missiles on October 11, 2009.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

North Korea to shoot at South Korea if campaign continues

Sat, Feb 26 2011

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has warned the South Korean military it will shoot at South Korea if the South continues its recent psychological campaign, the North's official media said on Sunday.

South Korea's military has been dropping leaflets into North Korea about democracy protests in Egypt, a legislator said on Friday. As part of the psychological campaign, the South Korean military also sent food, medicines and radios for residents in a bid to encourage North Koreans to think about change.

"South Korea is driving the Korean peninsula to overall confrontation, with beefing up anti-republic, psychological plots," KCNA news agency said.

"If this action continues despite our repeated warning, we officially inform that our military will shoot the area where the anti-republic, psychological plots, come from, including Imjingak, under the right of self-defense," it said.

Imjingak is an area in South Korea near the heavily armed Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas.

North Korea maintains tight control over communications, including the use of telephones and over movement of people, leaving many in the country unaware of world affairs.

South Korea's military has resumed its campaign of speaking directly to North Korean residents after the North bombarded an island near a disputed sea border in November, killing four people.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula rose to the highest level in years after the artillery attack and the sinking of a South Korean navy vessel in March last year, but the two sides have since renewed a dialogue aimed at easing relations.

Their first attempt at talks broke down earlier in February dealing a setback to plans to resume international disarmament talks with the North.

(Reporting by Cho Mee-young; Editing by Sugita Katyal)