Just hours after North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un threatened to initiate military strikes over propaganda broadcasts in the demilitarized zone, South Korean President Park Geun Hye has issued a warning to the North on Saturday, stating that she will "sternly" deal with any provocation initiated by the communist state, according to Bloomberg.
"North Korea should wake up from the illusion of maintaining its regime with provocations and threats," she said, adding "Provocations and threats will only bring isolation and destruction. But if North Korea joins the path of dialogue and cooperation, it will get a chance to develop its economy and improve people's livelihoods."
The warning against the North has come amid public outrage over a recent mine explosion in the demilitarized zone that maimed two South Korean soldiers, as covered by this HNGN article. The incident injured two staff sergeants patrolling the area, with one losing both legs and the other losing one.
Initially presumed to be an isolated incident, the South eventually determined that the mine attack was caused by North Korea. Investigations on the shrapnel of the mine showed a design that the North currently utilizes.
In retaliation, President Park has issued orders to broadcast propaganda through a loudspeaker campaign along the border on Monday. It was the first time the South has initiated a propaganda broadcast in 11 years, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The two Koreas technically remain at war, since the war between the capitalist South and the communist North has ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Thus, the two Koreas has remained technically at war for decades.
