North Korea says front-line units ready to strike South Korea if more drones appear

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Sunday its front-line army units are ready to launch strikes on South Korea, ramping up pressure on its rival that it said flew drones and dropped leaflets over its capital Pyongyang.

South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened.

North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again.

In a statement carried by state media Sunday, the North’s Defense Ministry said that the military had issued a preliminary operation order to artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to “get fully ready to open fire.”

An unidentified ministry spokesperson said the North Korea’s military ordered relevant units to fully prepare for situations like launching immediate strikes on unspecified enemy targets when South Korea infiltrates drones across the border again, possibly triggering fighting on the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

The spokesperson said that “grave touch-and-go military tensions are prevailing on the Korean Peninsula” because of the South Korean drone launches. In a separate statement later Sunday, the spokesperson said that the entire South Korean territory “might turn into piles of ashes” following the North's powerful attack.

Also Sunday, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un described as “suicidal” the South Korean Defense Ministry’s reported warning that North Korea would face the end of its regime if it harms South Korean nationals. She warned Saturday that the discovery of a new South Korean drone will “certainly lead to a horrible disaster.”

North Korea often issues such fiery, blistering rhetoric in times of elevated animosities with South Korea and the United States.

Ties between the two Koreas remain tense since a U.S.-led diplomacy on ending North Korea's nuclear program fell apart in 2019. North Korea has since pushed hard to expand its nuclear arsenal and repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the U.S. with its nuclear weapons. But experts say it's unlikely for North Korea to launch a full-blown attack because its military is outpaced by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

Observers predicted North Korea would escalate tensions ahead of next month's U.S. presidential election to boost its leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans.

Since May, North Korea has floated thousands of balloons carrying rubbish toward South Korea in retaliation for South Korean activists flying their own balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets. South Korea’s military responded to the North’s balloon campaign by restarting border loudspeakers to blare broadcast propaganda and K-pop songs to North Korea.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of the authoritarian government of Kim Jong Un and his family’s dynastic rule.

FILE - North Korean soldiers work at the North's military guard post as a North Korean flag flutters in the wind, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - North Korean balloons are seen from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

FILE - A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea on March 7, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

ROME (AP) — There were plenty of Filipino flags waving in support of Alexandra Eala amid the statues lining the picturesque Pietrangeli court at the Italian Open on Friday.

Eala beat 31st-seeded Wang Xinyu 6-4, 6-3 to follow up her three-set victory over Magdalena French in the opening round and put together consecutive clay-court victories for the first time since the qualifying rounds for the 2024 French Open.

“Yes, I did notice it,” Eala said of the Filipino support in Rome.

The 20-year-old Eala has become a worldwide sensation among the large Filipino diaspora ever since her breakthrough run to the Miami Open semifinals last year. Her fan base expanded again when she beat Clara Tauson in a long third-set tiebreaker in the first round at the U.S. Open last year for her first win in a major.

She attracted more attention at this year’s Australian Open — the closest Grand Slam to the Philippines.

Eala also noticed Filipino flags hanging outside a building on her way to visit the Vatican this week.

“I was like, ‘OK, we really are everywhere.’ And then I later learned that that’s the embassy of the Philippines to the Vatican,” she said. “And funny story: My great grandmother, she used to work there way back when. So it was full circle or something sentimental.”

While Eala prefers faster surfaces, she has plenty of access to clay courts at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain where she's based.

“I have a great team, very knowledgeable, and they are definitely guiding me and navigating me through this phase of the tour,” Eala said. “I trust in them a lot.

“What I’ve been trying to do is just be very patient and kind of try to enjoy being in that mode or that kind of mindset of being physically pushed and trying to stay in that suffering kind of zone."

While Eala is preparing for the French Open, her favorite Grand Slam remains Wimbledon.

“Growing up, Wimbledon was always the Grand Slam for me because I loved the tradition and seeing it from afar was very beautiful,” Eala said. “I saw everyone was in all white, the grass was so green, everything very elegant. So I carry that opinion until now.”

Eala has played in the main draw of the last four Grand Slams. So Roland Garros will mark her second time around in that category. She’s ranked No. 42.

“I haven’t been past a second round in a Grand Slam,” she said, “so that would be nice.”

Being based in Spain — the Nadal academy is in Manacor on the Balearic Islands — has helped Eala learn a third language after Filipino and English. During the recent Madrid Open she was able to do interviews in Spanish.

“To be able to get out of my shell and really break that barrier of being embarrassed was a great step for me," she said. “Having a third language is really a great skill and it’s very useful so I’m quite proud of myself.”

Eala’s emergence helped the Philippines host a WTA 125-level tournament in January. Amid huge attention, she reached the quarterfinals.

“Every time I go home I’m able to experience Manila in a different light because thankfully I’ve been getting better and better,” Eala said. “Home will always be home and I love going back there.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

FILE - Supporters of Alexandra Eala of the Philippines react during her first round match against Alycia Parks of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)

FILE - Alexandra Eala of the Philippines waves to her supporters following her first round loss to Alycia Parks of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)