Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in an article in this regard:

The politically-motivated military provocations of the puppet forces are undisguised acts to hurt the DPRK's dignity, bring down its social system, grab its inviolable territory and start a war against it.

The south Korean puppet forces' policy of confrontation with the DPRK and their ceaseless war drills against it were the main cause of the recent serious artillery shelling.

We cannot overlook the fact that their serious provocation to the DPRK was timed to coincide with the Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military drills.

It is a sinister scenario of the puppet forces to perpetrate provocations to the north, escalate tension and thus develop the UFG into an all-out war against the DPRK.

This is evidenced by the fact that the U.S. and puppet warmongers are operating the combined operational system in accordance with the already worked out "joint plan for coping with the provocation of a local war" after making armed provocation to the north.

The desperate moves being stepped up by the U.S. and puppet group of traitors to ignite a nuclear war against the north to wreck the peace and stability on the peninsula are touching off towering hatred among the service personnel and people of the DPRK and heightening their resolution to take a thousand-fold revenge.

It is their steadfast will to mercilessly wipe out the provocateurs at once.