North Korea issues 'final warning' to South to stop drone 'provocations'

North Korea accused its southern neighbor on Friday of sending drones carrying propaganda leaflets into Pyongyang three times, a claim Seoul denied.

"The South sent drones into Pyongyang's airspace on Oct. 3 and again in the past two days, dropping anti-regime propaganda leaflets full of heinous slander," the North's official Korean Central News Agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

Pyongyang has issued a "final warning" to South Korea to stop these provocations. The foreign ministry warned, according to the agency, that launching drones into Pyongyang's airspace "can be considered a military attack," adding that it is "a serious, intolerable and unforgivable provocation."

"This incursion into our airspace is a serious crime that violates our sovereignty and constitutes a clear justification for exercising our right to self-defense. South Korea has chosen to destroy itself. It is hastening its downfall," she continued.

North Korean media published photos of the propaganda leaflets it referred to, along with a shadowy image of a drone. "All our offensive forces are ready to move at any moment," the foreign ministry said.

On the other hand, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun denied that his country had sent any drones to the North. He replied during a parliamentary hearing when asked about North Korea’s claims, “We did not do that.”

"The military has never sent a drone into North Korea," a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff official told reporters, adding that they were checking whether it was done by "civilian groups," according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The North's KCNA report on Friday comes days after Pyongyang threatened to "permanently" close the border with South Korea.

Despite official efforts to stop them, South Korean activists have for years launched balloons containing propaganda leaflets and US dollars across the border, angering Pyongyang.

In retaliation, North Korea has sent more than 6,000 garbage balloons into the South since May. Yonhap news agency reported that Pyongyang sent a new batch of garbage balloons late Friday.

Relations between the two Koreas have fallen to their lowest point in years, with Kim Jong Un declaring South Korea his country's "main enemy" earlier this year.

Source: Agencies