South Korea to hold senior-level contact with DPRK amid tensions

South Korea's presidential office said Saturday that top presidential security advisor and unification minister will meet their counterparts from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) later in the day amid rising tensions across border.

Kim Kwan-jin, top security advisor to South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. local time (0900GMT) in the truce village of Panmunjom with Hwang Pyong So, Director of the Korean People's Army (KPA)'s General Political Bureau, and Kim Yang Gon, Director of the United Front Department in charge of Pyongyang-Seoul relations.

The first meeting between Kim and Hwang in about 10 months came amid rising inter-Korean tensions after the exchange of fires across border on Thursday over propaganda broadcasts.

The DPRK has warned that unless South Korea stops propaganda broadcasts in frontline areas till 5 p.m. Saturday, it would launch military actions. South Korea warned of a stern retaliation against any further provocations.