The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Friday issued the following crucial statement "The trigger for defending sovereignty and security will be pulled up without hesitation":

The ROK is crossing the red line in its provocation against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The most hostile and malicious rogue state, the ROK, committed such a grave political and military provocation as infiltrating drones into Pyongyang, the capital city of the DPRK.

Drone infiltrations were conducted by the ROK on October 3 and 9. They were followed by perpetration of such a hideous crime as scattering a huge number of anti-DPRK smear leaflets over the central part of Pyongyang through a midnight drone infiltration on October 10.

Smear leaflets, run through with inflammatory rumors and rubbish tarnishing the national sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK and malignantly hurting its socialist system, were scattered in the central part of the capital city.

Not content with scattering leaflets along the border by balloons, the ROK infiltrated even into the sky of the DPRK’s capital such drones which can be regarded as military attack means. The case is a serious provocation that can neither be overlooked nor be pardoned.

Its provocation beyond the limit line constitutes an open infringement on the sacred national sovereignty and security of the DPRK and a wanton violation of the international law and a grave military attack, for which the ROK must pay a dear price.

The ROK should neither justify the recent case in a trite way nor think of shirking its responsibility by making far-fetched assertions again.

The case is a typical instance that vividly betrays the national position of the ROK belonging to the most shameless, childish and vulgar category in the world and meanness of its clans.

It also evidently shows that the danger of armed conflict is created on the Korean peninsula due to the reckless and adventuristic acts of the ROK.

The international community should strongly denounce the bravado of the ROK, which is steadily escalating the danger of military conflict in the region while unhesitatingly committing provocations hard to sustain their aftermath, and unanimously call for thoroughly deterring them.

International law does not allow free flight of foreign aircraft or flying objects in the territorial airspace of a country, as well as "harmless flight".

The recent intrusion into the airspace is a grave crime encroaching upon the sovereignty of the DPRK and a clear target of the exercise of the right to self-defence.

The ROK chose self-destruction and is hastening its doom.

In the world, there is no country which will not react to the violation of its airspace and the drones of a hostile country flying over its capital.

We regard the recent provocation of the ROK as a serious political and military provocation that deserves retaliation according to the right to self-defence, without any further explanation and necessity.

The recent adventurous provocation of the enemies urgently requires our army to promptly judge what kind of action measure should be taken to discharge its sovereignty-defending mission granted by the DPRK Constitution and make a decision on launching the relevant retaliatory action.

The Ministry of National Defence, the General Staff and the army at all levels of the DPRK set about the preparations to cope with different occasions of the developing situation.

First, all the offensive means of the DPRK, to be involved in getting the military structures near the southern border and in the ROK collapsed, will get ready to carry out their activities promptly at any moment.

The stand expressed by our head of state some days ago that the DPRK has no intention to attack the ROK, does not mean that we are not ready to attack the ROK.

With the possibility of using all means of attack in readiness, we seriously warn the ROK as an ultimatum again to the last.

The ROK should immediately stop such irresponsible and dangerous provocation that may cause an armed conflict and lead to a war between the two sides.

If the ROK commits such a provocation as infiltrating a drone into airspace of the DPRK once again, the DPRK will launch an action immediately without any warning.

Taking this opportunity, we make it clear once again that the source and cause of all these disasters making the world people uneasy are in the ROK which has scattered political agitation scum into our inviolable territory despite our repeated warnings.

The ROK, which wantonly violated the inviolable sovereignty of the DPRK, will face a horrible situation if it continues provocations, not bearing in mind this last warning of the DPRK.

The trigger safety device is now off.

The time for our attack is not decided by us.

We will watch everything in full preparedness.

Criminals should no longer gamble at risk for the lives of their people.

Rodong Sinmun