North Korea warned Wednesday it is ready to launch fire over a plan by South Korean activists later this week to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border from a western border island.

Speaking to a reporter of the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), an unidentified North Korean commander denounced such psychological warfare against his communist regime as "an act of war," warning that his forces across the entire inter-Korean border are prepared to fire at South Korean sites of propaganda.

The commander pointed to a plan by South Korean activists to send leaflets in balloons from the island of Baengnyeong in the Yellow Sea on Friday and Saturday, accusing Seoul of backing the activity.

The island is close to Yeonpyeong island, which the North shelled in November last year, killing two marines and two civilians. The bombardment raised inter-Korean tensions to the highest level in at least a decade.

"Our troops are ready to squarely aim and fire at strongholds of psychological warfare at any moment and move into real combat action when we want," the commander was quoted as saying.

Yonhap News