There is no mention of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the statement despite speculation that China made a strong push to reflect its opposition to the missile defense system to be jointly deployed by South Korea and the United States on the peninsula.
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Foreign veterans of the Korean War and their family members wave their national flags during a commemorative ceremony marking the 63rd anniversary of the Armistice Agreement and UN Forces Participation in the Korean War in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
“North Korea intentionally floated the leaflets toward the mouth of the Han River and were picked up by guard troops near Gimpo”, the spokesman said, citing an analysis by relevant government officials.
The leaflets also carried a message celebrating the North’s “victory” against the U.N. Forces during the Korean War (1950-53).
The announcement came on the anniversary of the 1953 armistice agreement that brought fighting on the peninsula to a close, although the leaflets were apparently discovered July 22.
The Han River estuary has been a particularly tense location this year amid ongoing efforts by South Korea and the United Nations Command to clamp down on illegal Chinese fishermen, some of whom have used North Korean waters as an escape route.
The fragile peace continues to hold today but North Korea’s recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests have made the situation more volatile.
Despite warnings by the worldwide community, the North conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, with the last one taking place in January of this year.
Seoul began blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts and K-pop songs from border loudspeakers in retaliation for the North’s atomic detonation. Pyongyang responded by restarting its own border broadcasts and floating balloons carrying anti-South leaflets.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry Spokeswoman Park Soo-jin on Wednesday reiterated the position of both Seoul and Washington that Pyongyang must first halt its nuclear program before any talks to reduce tensions and end sanctions can occur.
North Korea’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that whether it conducted another nuclear test depended on the behaviour of the US, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
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In this photo provided by the South Korean military on July, 27, 2016, vinyl bags carrying North Korean leaflets are displayed on a table.
