North Korea's navy accused South Korea Thursday of sending warships across the border to stir tensions, and said the "reckless military provocations" could trigger armed clashes.
"The reckless military provocations... have created such a serious situation that a naval clash may break out between the two sides in these waters," the naval command said.
The North frequently accuses the South of breaching the disputed sea border in the Yellow Sea, the scene of bloody naval clashes in 1999 and 2002.
But Thursday's bellicose statement follows a series of recent peace overtures from Pyongyang. On Wednesday it had made a rare apology to Seoul for causing a deadly cross-border flood.
