North Korea warns South Korea over hostile leaflets

North Korea on Sunday warned that its military will blow up balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets which are reportedly to be flown by civic groups in South Korea.

South Korean civic groups announced a plan to drop anti-North Korea leaflets from balloons across the inter-Korean border around March 26, the fifth anniversary of South Korea's Cheonan warship sinking, Xinhua reported, citing the state media KCNA.

"It is the height of hostility that the South Korean puppet forces still misuse the warship sinking case, which has long been branded as the unprecedented hideous conspiratorial farce, for escalating confrontation with North Korea by linking the case with it," said a Korean People's Army statement.

It said the reckless acts are aimed at deliberately escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula, "where the situation has reached the brink of a war due to 'Key Resolve' and 'Foal Eagle' joint war rehearsals."

Key Resolve and Foal Eagle are combined field training exercises conducted annually by South Korea and the US.

The army threatens to launch attacks "without prior warning" on the balloons, "whether the scattering operations are conducted in areas along the MDL (Military Demarcation Line) or in any point of sea or in the air, whether balloons or drones are used for those operations and whether openly or secretly".

About 500,000 leaflets, denouncing the North Korea government, and some 10,000 copies of "The Interview," a film featuring a fictional plot to assassinate top leader Kim Jong Un, will reportedly be sent via hot air balloons across the inter-Korean land border.