S. KOREAN MILITARY LEADERS MEET OVER N. KOREA

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South Korean military leaders met as tensions flared up again between the two Koreas over the propaganda leaflets flown over to the North by South Korean activist groups. South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo asked the military commanders for full readiness and stressed that it wasn't just a perfunctory instruction.

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​​"North Korea is further exacerbating military tensions." This is South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo's assessment of the current situation. North Korea has blasted South Korea for anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets and promised to give Seoul a hard time in border areas. Pyongyang has not even responded to calls via the military communication line meant to prevent accidental clashes. The Wednesday meeting was attended by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chiefs of staff from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and the commandant of the Marine Corps. The defense minister criticized North Korea for denouncing South Korean military exercises and improvement of its military strength. He also condemned Pyongyang for passing the blame for the strained inter-Korean relations to the South while refusing to engage in cross-border cooperation and implement the 2018 military agreement. The minister urged the military leaders to assume full readiness as Pyongyang has called Seoul its enemy and aggravated the situation.

[Soundbite] JEONG KYEONG-DOO(MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE) : "This instruction is not just a perfunctory order from the minister. It's an emphatic statement to all of you."

When asked about national security loopholes in coastal areas in the wake of the discovery of smuggling boats in the Taean area, Jeong said the overall surveillance system will be improved. He also mentioned in his opening statement that South Korea and the United States have conducted a joint missile defense exercise. The South Korean Defense Ministry explained that the exercise was a customary one held to prepare for North Korean missiles and had nothing to do with South Korea being included in the U.S. missile defense system.