Pyongyang has denied that it was behind the land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) early this month, demanding Seoul show evidence.
 
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday that North Korea sent a message signed by the North's Southwestern Frontline Command at around noon.
 
The message claimed that North Korea had nothing to do with the landmine explosions and that the accusations are part of Seoul's scheme against Pyongyang.
 
It also denounced South Korea's resumption of propaganda broadcasts, calling the loudspeaker campaign a reckless military provocation. It then threatened to keep a close eye on the South's movement.
 
The response from the North came 10 days after two South Korean soldiers were maimed by wooden-box land mines during a reconnaissance mission in the southern part of the DMZ, and four days after the South pointed to the North as the culprit.
 
Shortly after receiving the North’s message, the South Korean military responded in a letter from the JCS, condemning the North’s denial of its provocative act.
 
The JCS reaffirmed its commitment to retaliation in case of further provocations by North Korea.