Roundup: S.Korea, DPRK to hold senior-level contact amid border tensions

Senior-level officials from South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed to meet in the truce village of Panmunjom amid heightened tensions after the exchange of fires in border areas over propaganda broadcasts, the South Korean presidential office said Saturday.

Kim Kwan-jin, top security advisor to South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo will have a contact with their DPRK counterparts at 6 p.m. local time (0900GMT) in the Peace House, an administrative building on the South Korean side of Panmunjom, Kim Kyou-hyun, first Deputy Chief of the presidential national security office, told a press briefing.

The DPRK's official KCNA reported that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will hold high-level urgent contact with South Korea at Panmunjom on Saturday afternoon as regards the prevailing situation.

Hwang Pyong So, top aide to DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA), and Kim Yang Gon, Director of the DPRK's United Front Department in charge of inter-Korean relations, will come to the meeting.

Kim and Hwang met in October last year when Hwang visited Incheon, South Korea's western port city, to attend the closing ceremony of the 17th Incheon Asian Games hosted by South Korea.

The highest-level inter-Korean contact came amid the escalated tensions caused by the cross-border exchange of fires on Thursday over propaganda broadcasts.

South Korea resumed airing the propaganda broadcasts with loudspeakers along the border from August 10 as two soldiers were maimed on August 4 by the blast of landmines, which Seoul claimed had been planted by the DPRK.

Pyongyang has denied any involvement in the incident.

South Korea said that it fired back dozens of artillery rounds after the DRPK shelling inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) Thursday, but Pyongyang has denied firing a shell into the South Korean territory. The DPRK said it was an excuse for Seoul to conduct military provocations.

The DPRK has warned that unless South Korea stops propaganda broadcasts in frontline areas till 5 p.m. Saturday, it would launch military actions. South Korea warned of a stern retaliation against any further provocations.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un ordered the country's frontline combined forces to enter a state of war from 5 p.m. local time ( 0830GMT) Friday and be well armed to cope with any possible operations at any time.

The DPRK forward-deployed 76.2-mm artilleries in some border areas, and some DPRK gunners were ready to fire in some artillery positions, according to the South Korean military. Some DPRK gunners conducted firing exercises, which South Korea saw as an exercise to strike its loudspeakers along the border.

South Korea has put its troops on the highest alert, while continuing to blare the propaganda messages with sets of loudspeakers despite the agreement to the senior-level talks.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo said Friday that the broadcasts were an appropriate response to the landmine provocation, indicating the broadcasts will continue until Pyongyang takes responsible actions.

South Korea and the United States, which kicked off the 12-day joint annual war game from Monday, raised their joint reconnaissance level to more closely monitor the moves of DPRK forces. Eight fighter jets of the two nations flied the South Korean sky Saturday as an armed protest.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was deeply concerned by rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and urged the relevant parties to refrain from taking any further measures that might increase tensions, a spokesperson for the UN chief said.

China on Friday asked relevant parties to exercise restraint and prevent escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

About 15,000 South Koreans living near the inter-Korean border were ordered to evacuate their homes amid fears for possible military skirmishes in frontline areas. Endi