North Korean state media yesterday said high-level talks with Seoul were now all but scrapped over the launch of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets from South Korea, which triggered an exchange of fire across the border.
North Korea and South Korea had agreed on Sunday last week to work on resuming a formal high-level dialogue that has effectively been suspended for seven months, raising hopes of a thaw in strained relations.
However, the two nations traded heavy machine-gun fire across the border on Friday, prompted by the North Korean military trying to shoot down balloons carrying the leaflets that South Korean activists had launched.
Some rounds fell on South Korea, which responded with high-caliber machine-gun fire. No casualties were reported in the South, and none are believed to have taken place in the North.
“Because of irresponsible and provocative acts by the puppet regime ... the planned high-level meeting is all but scrapped,” North Korea’s official news Web site Uriminzokkiri said.
However, it did not shut the door completely.
“It is totally up to the South Korean puppets’ attitude what would happen to the North-South Korean relations in the future,” it added.
In Yeoncheon County, about 60km north of Seoul, residents parked trucks and tractors to block roads leading up to sites activists were using to launch leaflets, Yonhap news agency reported.
“We’ve decided to stop the launches for our own safety,” said Lim Jae-gwan, the head of Jung Village and the leader of the blockade, according to Yonhap.
The activists later moved about 30km south to Pochon County and managed to launch only one of the 15 gas-filled balloons they had prepared to send leaflets across the border.
“We physically stopped them from launching balloons as such activities might put the residents here in harm’s way,” a Pochon County police official told reporters, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The agreement to hold bilateral talks had come on Sunday last week during a surprise visit to South Korea by three top-ranking North Korean officials, two of whom are close aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Pyongyang had repeatedly warned of a “catastrophic” end to cross-border ties unless South Korea halted the launch of the leaflets as the North marked the anniversary of the founding of North Korea’s Workers’ Party.
The North Korean news Web site said that South Korea should have taken its warnings seriously and prevented such launches if it really wants dialogue and improvement in inter-Korean relations.
“The real culprits of this ... leaflet-launching commotion are the United States and the puppet regime,” it said.
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