A South Korean soldier in Panmunjom guards the border with North Korea on December 03, 2019 (Photo: Stephan Schulz | picture alliance via Getty Images)

The statement came after KCNA news agency said all communication channels with the South would be cut at noon Tuesday.

North Korea is escalating pressure on South Korea for failing to stop activists from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. The means of communication include a line at an inter-Korean liaison office, multiple lines between the two countries' military, and a hotline between South Korea's Presidential Office and North Korea's Workers' Party.

Seoul has urged Pyongyang to keep inter-Korea contacts open.