North Korea has further escalated its level of threat by mentioning an all-out war, after it declared a quasi-state of war on front-line units on Friday.
 
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that Pyongyang's foreign ministry issued a statement on Friday, noting its readiness for an all-out war. 
 
The statement said North Korea is prepared to not just counteract or retaliate but defend—with their lives—the system chosen by the North Korean military and the people.
 
The ministry also claimed Thursday's artillery shelling was a planned, self-fabricated plot by South Korea. It said the circumstances leading to the brink of war can no longer be reversed.
 
The North also said that the United States' shadow lurks behind the shelling incident. It added that Pyongyang is ready to deal with even the tiniest provocation by the U.S. military.
 
Regarding China's appeal to the two Koreas to refrain from violence, Pyongyang said nothing can help the ongoing situation. 
 
The spokesman for the North's U.S. affairs think tank, issued a statement, blaming Washington's war exercises for the current state on the Korean Peninsula. The spokesman demanded a stop to South Korea-U.S. joint defense drills.