DPRK slams ROK for border 'provocations'

PYONGYANG, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday denounced "reckless behavior" of the Republic of Korea (ROK) military that has led to "a grave situation" in the border area, state media reported.

Kim Yo Jong, department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, made the remarks in a press statement cited by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The ROK military "provocations" against the DPRK service personnel included warning loudspeaker blaring, and firing warning shots at them with automatic rifles and large-caliber machine guns "under such unreasonable pretext that the personnel, involved in fortifying the southern border, 'crossed the borderline'," according to the statement.

They committed 2,870 rounds of provocative loudspeaker warning and 201 warning shots from Aug. 1 to Oct. 17, Kim said.

The DPRK official made stern warnings against the ROK military's "reckless acts of aggravating the situation by constantly threatening the border security of the DPRK and the safety of our service personnel."

In response, the DPRK military leadership is mulling over deploying more tactical strike means along the southern border and resuming the loudspeaker broadcasting against the ROK, among other measures, Kim said.