Anchor: President Moon Jae-in met with his top officials on Monday as cross border tension mounted, saying inter-Korean agreements to pursue peace must be maintained at all costs. This comes after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to withdraw from the inter-Korean liaison office, adding she planned to order the military to take the next retaliatory step.
Sam Im reports.

Report: President Moon Jae-in met with his chief secretaries as North Korea escalated threats and blamed South Korea for failing to live up to pledges to pursue cross-border projects. 

The South Korean leader acknowledged that the two Koreas are observing with a “heavy heart” the 20th anniversary of the landmark inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang. But he said there is no turning back when it comes to concerted efforts to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. 

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean/English translation)]
"The direction which the South and the North must take is clear.... We must not again stop current inter-Korean relations after managing to overcome the long severance and crisis of war. Chairman Kim and I must not revert the promises of peace which we made in front of 80 million Korean people. The Panmunjom Declaration and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 are solemn promises the two Koreas must thoroughly implement." 

The South Korean leader made the comments to reporters as the Koreas mark the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration adopted in a historic summit between former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.   

[Sound bite: President Moon Jae-in (Korean/English translation)] 
"I am well aware of Chairman Kim Jong-un's bold decision and efforts aimed at finding a groundbreaking turning point in the Korean Peninsula affairs. I am also disappointed as North Korea-U.S. relations and inter-Korean relations have not made progress that were hoped for. It's time for the two Koreas to find a breakthrough. We can no longer wait until the situation becomes more conducive. I would like the South and the North to make their own decisions to find and pursue their own projects as the masters of fate of the Korean Peninsula. I will continue to seek the international community's support. North Korea must open the door for dialogue and seek wisdom with us."

This comes after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, on Saturday threatened to withdraw from the inter-Korean liaison office, adding she planned to order the military to take the next retaliatory step.

Describing South Korea as an "enemy," Kim Yo-jong said that North Korea will take the next step against the South as she attacked Seoul over declining bilateral relations and its failure to stop activists from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

Kim said that the right to take action against the "enemy" will be entrusted to the General Staff Department of the North Korean People's Army.

Earlier on Monday, North Korea continued to threaten retaliatory action against South Korea for anti-North Korea leaflet campaigns and made no mention of the 20th anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit. North Korea's ruling party mouthpiece, the Rodong Sinmun, mentioned the possibility of military action, saying "relentless retaliatory acts will continue."  

The paper blamed Seoul for neglecting the defector-led campaigns that led to increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, despite reconciliatory agreements from the 2018 Panmunjeom summit.  
Sam Im, KBS World Radio News.