Pyongyang says forces will be sent to Kaesong, an inter-Korean industrial park along the border where a liaison office was blown up by North Korea earlier this week.
The office, north of the Demilitarized Zone, appears to have been empty when it was destroyed. The act follows threats from Pyongyang, and experts say provocations from the North will likely continue.
The move is the latest sign of deterioration in relations between North and South Korea. On Tuesday, North Korean officials did not answer a routine daily call from the South.
The North Korean leader's public absence and reports of a recent surgery have prompted a flurry of rumors about his health. But South Korean officials said Tuesday, "There is nothing we can confirm."
Pyongyang says it has mobilized to fight for its "national survival." Experts say North Korea's track record of fighting epidemics does not bode well for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
He stopped short of saying he was breaking off nuclear negotiations with the U.S. President Trump has repeatedly touted the testing moratorium as a political victory.
North Korea has threatened to send a "Christmas present" for the United States if sanctions aren't eased by the end of the year. Trump says he isn't worried about it.
With the holiday just days away and no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough in sight, here are what experts say are the possibilities for North Korea's "Christmas gift."
In an exclusive interview with NPR, former Ambassador John Bolton criticized his ex-boss' strategy, saying "there's no serious chance" North Korea will voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons program.