PYONGYANG, October 6. /TASS/. Pyongyang will take immediate retaliatory action, including the use of force, in case of a South Korean military invasion, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The statement points out that if the Southern Korean military invades North Korea "even one millimeter deep, North Korea’s border forces will take immediate and powerful retaliatory action."
The Foreign Ministry noted that North Korea "will under no circumstances discuss military sovereignty applied to its own territory with a hostile state," but "will defend its sovereign territory not through talks but through a decisive use of force." The ministry added that this was the official position of the North Korean government.
The statement was issued after Seoul announced the final results of an investigation into an explosion that occurred in the demilitarized zone on September 21. The South Korean military claims that North Korean service members had deliberately planted anti-personnel landmines south of the Military Demarcation Line. Pyongyang has rejected these conclusions.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry described Seoul’s allegations as "a serious violation of sovereignty," saying that work to reinforce the country’s southern border was part of its sovereign rights. The ministry also stressed that Pyongyang was not responsible for any similar incidents that could happen in South Korea in the future.
South Korea’s military reported on October 5 that a demining operation had been carried out at the site of the explosion. The army also announced plans to continue clearing the area of mines. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on October 6 that Seoul was considering various diplomatic measures with regard to the incident.
