North Korea Places Front-Line Units on High Alert Amid Drone Dispute with South Korea

North Korea has announced that its front-line military units are on high alert and ready to launch strikes on South Korea, following accusations that South Korea has deployed drones over the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The tensions escalated after North Korea claimed that South Korean drones were used to disperse propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang on multiple occasions this month.

In a statement published by North Korea’s state media on Sunday, the Defense Ministry indicated that a preliminary operational directive had been issued to artillery and other military units stationed near the border, instructing them to be ‘fully prepared to engage in fire.’ The ministry warned that if South Korea deploys drones across the border again, North Korean units are ready to launch immediate attacks on unspecified enemy targets.

South Korea has not confirmed the deployment of drones but has issued stern warnings that it would take decisive action against North Korea if the safety of its citizens is compromised. South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun initially denied any involvement, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff later stated they could not confirm whether the North’s claims were true.

The situation has heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea threatening that the entirety of South Korean territory ‘could be reduced to ashes’ following a powerful strike. Relations between the two Koreas have remained strained since diplomatic efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program collapsed in 2019.

Experts suggest that while a full-scale attack from North Korea is unlikely due to its military being outmatched by the combined forces of the U.S. and South Korea, North Korea may escalate tensions in the lead-up to next month’s U.S. presidential election to strengthen its negotiating position in future diplomatic engagements with the United States.

In response to North Korea’s actions, South Korea’s military has resumed using loudspeakers at the border to broadcast propaganda and K-pop music into North Korea, a move that North Korea is highly sensitive to due to its authoritarian regime’s aversion to external criticism.