Kim Hyok, director of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, told KCNA:

From the beginning of the year, the DPRK government has made every possible effort to bring about a decisive turn in the north-south relations through dialogue and contact.

But the south Korean puppet regime has been hell-bent on anti-DPRK smear campaign and war games.

On August 17 the regime kicked off the Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercise with the U.S. imperialists. Not content with this, it recently resumed the anti-DPRK propaganda broadcasting under the pretext of a doubtful "landmine explosion" case and fired shells at our territory for no ground on August 20.

There is a limit to the patience of the DPRK people.

We, metal industrial workers, will turn out more steel in a mind to inflict fire of revenge upon the provokers.

Jo Jong Chol, an officer of the KPA, said:

We, servicepersons, are now fully ready for military action against the south Korean group of traitors.

Any provokers will never go scot-free from war and retaliatory strike of our own way, and they are doomed to destruction.