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North Korea's military today threatened the South with imminent "sledge-hammer" retaliation unless Seoul apologised for anti-Pyongyang protestors burning effigies of its revered leaders.
South Korea called the North's ultimatum "regrettable" and "absurd" with the defence ministry vowing a tough response to any military provocation.
The warning came a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up a Northeast Asian tour aimed at defusing soaring military tensions on the Korean peninsula and getting China to help rein in a belligerent Pyongyang.
As North Korea marked the birth of late founding leader Kim Il-Sung yesterday -- a major national holiday -- around 40 protesters in Seoul burned portraits of Kim, his son Kim Jong-Il and grandson and current leader Kim Jong-Un.
Condemning what it described as a "thrice-cursed... monstrous criminal act", the Korean People's Army (KPA) Supreme Command issued an "ultimatum" threatening "just" and immediate action if an apology was not forthcoming."Our retaliatory action will start without any notice," it said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency."The military demonstration... Will be powerful sledge-hammer blows at all hostile forces hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership," it added.
Intelligence reports suggest the North has had two medium-range missiles primed to fire from its east coast for at least a week, with most observers predicting a launch sometime around the date of Kim Il-Sung's birthday.
During his whirlwind tour of South Korea, China and Japan, Kerry had warned that a test-launch in the current tense climate would be a "huge mistake".
South Korea's defence ministry called today's ultimatum "regrettable" and promised to retaliate "thoroughly and resolutely" to any provocation.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the North's threat was "absurd" and urged Pyongyang to follow a path to dialogue proposed by Seoul and Washington."We hope the North will make a wise choice," the spokesman said.
Amid the angry threats contained in today's ultimatum, some analysts pointed out that the demand for an apology was couched in language that might open the door to the talks the South has been suggesting for days."If the puppet authorities truly want dialogue and negotiations, they should apologise," the KPA statement said."The emphasis there is placed on conditions for resuming dialogue and that is worth noting," said Kim Yong-Hyun, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University in Seoul.
