ISLAMABAD-North Korea threatened Wednesday to bolster its military presence in and near the Demilitarized Zone,
a day after blowing up its liaison office with the South, prompting sharp criticism from Seoul.
In a series of denunciations of South Korea, the nuclear-armed North rejected an offer from President Moon Jae-in to send envoys for talks.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister Kim Yo Jong called it a "tactless and sinister proposal", the official KCNA news agency reported.
Seoul retorted with an unusually stern condemnation, calling her remarks "senseless" and "very rude".
"We warn we will no longer tolerate the North's unreasonable acts and words," sai
Blue House spokesman Yoon Do-han, calling Pyongyang's disclosure of Moon's offer o
envoys "unprecedently senseless".
And its defence ministry said the North's threats would violate several inter-Korea agreements. "The North will surely pay the price if such actions are taken," it said in a statement.