(LEAD) Military warns against N. Korean land mines washing into South amid heavy downpours

SEOUL: Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Wednesday called for firm readiness against North Korea's provocations, his office said, amid concerns over land mines placed by the North possibly flowing into South Korea amid heavy downpours. Shin made the remark in a meeting of top military commanders that was held to discuss South Korea's capabilities to counter North Korea's potential provocations, according to the defense ministry. The meeting came a day after the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned that South Korea will face "gruesome and dear" consequences if it lets North Korean defectors continue to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North. Kim Yo-jong hinted Tuesday that her country could opt for a new tactic to counter the leaflet campaign instead of resorting to its campaign of sending trash-carrying balloons across the border. In addition to the possibility of North Korea adopting new methods of provocations, such as operating unmanned drones and shooting down leaflet-carryin g balloons floated by South Korean activists, the ministry raised the risk that mines planted by the North could wash into the South amid the ongoing downpours. "North Korea tends to randomly place them without relevant safety measures," an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "Whether it occurs intentionally or naturally due to heavy rains, there is a higher possibility of the land mines flowing down." Photos released by the defense ministry showed various forms of land mines the North uses, including those that resemble leaves and those placed in wooden boxes. The ministry advised the public to refrain from touching suspected mines or other suspicious objects. Since April, the North has been deploying large numbers of troops in front-line areas for an array of activities, such as planting mines, erecting walls and reinforcing roads for military operations. A JCS official said the North is estimated to have planted tens of thousands of mines in the area in the past few months, mostly intende d to block North Koreans from crossing the border to enter the South. As inter-Korean communication channels have been suspended, the military has requested the United Nations Command to notify the North of the risks of the land mines washing into the South, the official said. Source: Yonhap News Agency