North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said on Wednesday that the North Korean military recognizes the South Korean army’s anti-North Korean slogan as an “intentional provocation.” The KCNA also reported that the North’s military pledged to take retaliatory measures.

North Korea said in a statement that some front-line South Korean units are using catchphrases that "insult" the North Korean regime and the military. The statement also said that the North would retaliate as the South’s action is an extreme provocation.

Several South Korean media had reported that some front-line units, including the “Baekgol unit,” had adopted extreme catch phrases that were used during their training, such as "Let’s behead and dismember Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un.”