North Korea said Sunday it put its front-line army units ready to launch strikes on South Korea, ramping up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones over the 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 flying drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang and threatened to respond with force if a similar incident happened again.
In a statement carried by state media Sunday, the 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 the North Korea's military ordered relevant units to fully prepare for situations like launching immediate strikes on unspecified enemy targets when South Korea infiltrates drones across the border again, according to the statement.
