N. Korea threatens to take military action unless S. Korea complies with ultimatum Updated: 2016-03-28 04:03:25 KST
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=189501North Korea threatened to turn South Korea's presidential office and other key facilities into ashes if it doesn't get an apology from South Korea for hurting the dignity of its leader Kim Jong-un.
The ultimatum was issued Saturday through the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency.
" If South Korea ignores our final warning, our long-range artillery on the border will engage in military action."
The report also contained a video showing Kim Jong-un presiding over a heavy artillery drill on the border, though it did not say when the footage was taken.
Pyongyang accuses Seoul of staging a drill last week that it says targeted the office of the North Korean leader.
The South Korean military has confirmed that its Air Force did conduct a large-scale air raid drill simulating strikes on key facilities in the North.
During the drill, 16 fighter jets carrying precision-guided missiles escorted a military transport plane carrying a Special Forces unit.
The South Korean military urged the North to stop its rhetoric and warned that its provocations will lead to the regime's destruction.
A South Korean military official told Seoul-based Yonhap News that its military is ready to counter any threats from the North, though they have spotted no unusual movement north of the border.
The ultimatum is the latest bit of rhetoric against Seoul amid an ongoing South Korea-U.S. military exercises that have heightened tensions on the peninsula.
North Korea says the drills are a rehearsal for war, while Seoul and Washington say they are purely defensive in nature.
The North has made similar threats to destroy South Korea's presidential office in the past, but has never followed through with military action.
The drills between Seoul and Washington are scheduled to run through end of April.
Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.
Reporter : hyunbin@arirang.co.kr
