North Korea has threatened to take military action against South Korea unless Seoul stops civic groups from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets to the North.

A spokesman for the North’s delegation to inter-Korean military talks on Tuesday told the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) that if the spread of leaflets by South Korean groups continues, the North Korean army will take resolute action.

The military spokesman also said that Pyongyang has threatened to launch a preemptive strike against Seoul, calling the South's recent joint military drill with the U.S. an “exercise for a preemptive strike against North Korea."

The spokesman said that if the South Korean government continues to disregard inter-Korean declarations and agreements, Pyongyang could go as far as to sever all cross-border relations with the South.