North Korea has imposed no-fly and no-sail zones off both its coasts, South Korean government sources tell Yonhap news agency.
The move indicates that Pyongyang intends to conduct major
military drills and the test-firing of short-to-medium range
missiles also remains a possibility, South Korea's Yonhap news
agency said on Wednesday.
"The North's military ... is preparing large-scale combined
military exercises so it may have blocked off the areas for
nautical firing or fighter jet firing exercises," Yonhap quoted
a South Korean government source as saying.
"But the firing of missiles cannot be ruled out."
The agency also reported that North Korea has already begun
submarine drills as it steps up preparations for nationwide
military exercises.
In February, Kim Min-seok, a South Korean ministry spokesman
said a large-scale military drill was likely to be held in the
North due to the unusually high levels of participation by the North's artillery, special forces and
air force over the winter months.
The report follows Pyongyang's threat to scrap a ceasefire which
ended the 1950-53 Korean War due to an ongoing military US-South
Korean military drill. The North further said it will cut off a
military phone line in the truce village of Panmunjom.
On Wednesday the South Korean military issued an
uncharacteristically harsh warning, saying it would strike the
North’s command leadership if provoked.
"If North Korea attempts a provocation that threatens the lives and
security of our people, our military will forcefully and decisively
strike not only the origin of provocation and its supporting
forces, but also its command leadership," said Maj. Gen. Kim
Yong-hyun, chief operations officer at the military’s Office of
Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We make it clear that we are all
prepared."
Building tensions on the Korean Peninsula come as the 15-nation
UN Security Council prepares to ‘significantly expand’ sanctions on
North Korea over a third nuclear test conducted in February.
Several UN envoys said on Tuesday that a vote on the draft
sanctions resolution agreed upon by Washington and Beijing was
expected on Thursday.
The sanctions would explicitly ban the sale of luxury goods which
are a regular staple of North Korea’s ruling elite and make it more
difficult for Pyongyang to transfer funds globally, a council
diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.