Pyongyang, August 23 (KCNA) — Army Lieutenant General Ko Jong Chol, vice-chief of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army, issued the following press statement “Dangerous provocation inciting military conflict in the southern border area should be stopped immediately” on August 22:
On August 19, the ROK military warmongers committed such a serious provocation as firing more than 10 warning shots with 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun at the DPRK soldiers who were conducting a permanent barrier project near the southern border line.
This is a very serious prelude that would inevitably drive the situation in the southern border area where a huge number of forces are stationing in confrontation with each other to the uncontrollable phase and the DPRK army is keeping tabs on the present situation.
At present, the DPRK army is conducting a barrier project to permanently block the southern border with the ROK as part of the regular work to reinforce the border.
Completely separating the territory, where the DPRK exercises its sovereignty, from the one of the ROK is the undertaking to eliminate the factor of escalated tension in the militarily acute southern border area and secure the stable environment and therefore, it poses no threat to anyone.
As regards the barrier project in the southern border area, the DPRK army had already informed the U.S. forces side which is exercising control over the ROK army of the relevant contents on June 25 and July 18 out of the intention to prevent misunderstanding and accidental conflict.
Even the U.S. forces side accepted this as a sincere measure for détente and confirmed that the project by our personnel is obviously underway within the sovereign territory of the DPRK.
Nonetheless, the provocative acts rattling the nerves of our personnel still persist and worse still turn into more vicious ones and explosively increase in their scale.
The loudspeaker broadcasting provocation which was confined to one or two observation posts in the past has been expanded to several units of the ROK army including the 3rd, 6th, 15th and 28th divisions and they are making such threatening remarks as “We’ll shoot” as a daily routine.
Shortly ago, a high-ranking official concerned of the ROK army made public to the media that he would continue the warning broadcasting that irritates the DPRK in the southern border area under the pretext of “maintenance of security and defense posture”. This clearly reveals the standpoint of the U.S. forces side in dealing with our advanced notice.
In particular, the recent incident, timed to coincide with the large-scale joint military drills being staged in the region of the ROK, can not but be construed as a premeditated and deliberate provocation aimed at military conflict from A to Z.
All facts go to clearly prove that the sinister intention of the U.S. and the ROK warmongers to pursue military confrontation with the DPRK remains unchanged.
As the commanding officer responsible for the southern border management and security, I strongly demand to immediately stop the dangerous provocation aimed to make the fortification project in the southern border necessary for defending our sovereignty an excuse for escalation of tension.
If the act of restraining or obstructing the project unrelated to the military character persists, our army will regard it as deliberate military provocation and take corresponding countermeasure.
Until now, our side has not questioned the frequent approach to the border line by the airplanes as well as the forces and equipment of the ROK army notified by the U.S. forces side.
Therefore, I clarify that if a dangerous situation in which an advanced notice of the other party is ignored in the southern border area where a huge number of forces are stationing in sharp confrontation with each other, we will take no responsibility for the grave consequences to be entailed by it.
The General Staff of the KPA will closely watch the further development of situation. -0-
