South Korea resumes anti-North propaganda

South Korea's Defense Ministry said the decision came in response to last week's landmine explosions that left two South Korean soldiers maimed.

"Our military has decided to resume propaganda broadcasting using loudspeakers alone the border," said a spokesperson for the defense ministry.

The resumption marks the first time since 2004 that Seoul will broadcast propaganda against North Korea on the border.

The order came hours after Seoul accused North Korea of placing the mines in Seoul-controlled southern part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that splits the Korean Peninsula.

Tensions on the border

According to Seoul, fragments from the explosions matched North Korea's "wooden box" landmines.

"We are certain they were North Korean landmines planted with an intention to kill by our enemies who sneaked across the military border," said Kim Min-Seok, spokesperson for South Korea's Defense Ministry.

The DMZ is considered one of the world's most militarized areas, with more than a million landmines estimated to exist in the 4-kilometer-wide (2.5-mile-wide) area that separates both countries.

Following the end of the Korean War in 1953, Seoul and Pyongyang have observed a UN-observed armistice. The truce has failed to evolve in a peace treaty, making them technically still at war.

The escalation in tensions between the countries comes a week ahead of US-South Korea joint military exercises, which the North promised on Saturday to meet with "tough military counter-action."

On Saturday, both countries are expected to celebrate the day they were liberated from Japan.

ls/kms (AFP, AP, Reuters)