N. Korea holds security meeting to discuss S. Korea's alleged drone flights

[Anchor]

Like so, North Korea has publicly announced that it has raised the level of physical threats against the South while also convening a meeting equivalent to our National Security Council for the first time.

At this meeting, it was said that they discussed response measures regarding the issue of unmanned aerial vehicles in Pyongyang, and reporter Shin Ji-hye analyzed what the North's intentions are in trying to escalate this tense situation.

[Report]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gathered the heads of the military and intelligence agencies for a meeting.

It appears to be an organization similar to our National Security Council (NSC), and this is the first formal gathering.

[Korean Central TV: "(Chairman Kim Jong-un) evaluated and concluded the materials and countermeasures reflected in the reports of each defense and security agency."]

Just three days after claiming the infiltration of South Korean unmanned aerial vehicles, Kim Jong-un took direct action to address the response measures.

The recent road explosion is part of the severance measures that intensified after the declaration of 'hostile two nations' at the end of last year, but it is also evaluated to be related to the North's recent months of escalating threats against the South.

The regime, which has built barriers and laid mines near the military demarcation line, has sent nearly 30 garbage balloons in response to anti-North Korean leaflets since May.

After the claim of 'unmanned aerial vehicle infiltration,' they unleashed aggressive rhetoric and ordered front-line units to prepare for firing.

They are also conveying this news to the residents in detail, inciting anti-South Korea sentiment.

[Lim Eul-chul/Professor, Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University: "(They believe) that maintaining the regime can only be achieved by severing ties with the South, and that eliminating concepts like unification, reconciliation, and kinship is the best approach for national defense and economic construction."]

Additionally, this development is similar to when they blew up the inter-Korean liaison office four years ago, and it is analyzed as an intention to showcase their presence ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

Yesterday (10.14), Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's powerful sister who mentioned 'U.S. responsibility,' claimed that they secured evidence that the South Korean military was the main culprit behind the drones after the road explosion, asserting that there would be a severe price to pay. She indicated that they will continue to escalate the tense situation.

This is KBS News, Shin Ji-hye.