North Korea on Thursday threatened new attacks against the South and rejected a proposal by the UN Command to hold talks, media reports said.
The threats followed a North Korean artillery bombardment of a South Korean island near the two countries' maritime border on Tuesday that left two soldiers and two civilians dead and injured another 18 people.
"The (North) Korean People's Army will deal without hesitation the second and third strong physical retaliatory blow," a North Korean military delegation said, the Yonhap News Agency reported citing official North Korean media.
North Koreans blamed the South and its ally the US for the clash that set Yeonpyeong island on fire and forced many residents to flee. The Stalinist state on Thursday dismissed a proposal from the US-led UN Command (UNC) to hold talks between generals on the artillery clash.
"North Korea rejected the proposal by the UNC because it appeared to see no practical benefit in the talks," a South Korean defence ministry official said. The UN Command is tasked with monitoring the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.