North and South Korean military generals met at a truce village Wednesday in a bid to lower tensions following cross-border military exchanges last week, South Korean Yonhap news agency reported.

The meeting comes after South Korean activists floated balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang messages into North Korea's border.

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North's soldiers open fired at the balloons with some bullets landing on South's side of the border. Three days before, Korean warships briefly exchanged warning shots along the disputed Yellow Sea border.

There were no reports of damage or casualty from both exchanges.

Yonhap reported that the high-level talk was held at the Panmunjom, a village that straddles the demilitarized zone dividing the Korean peninsula. The meeting marks the first time rival Koreas held general-level. According to Yonhap, similar talks were last held in December 2007.  

Seoul's unification and defense ministries have both declined to offer comments, with Yonhap news agency citing Pyongyang's request not to publicize the meeting. The agency cited a parliamentary source as saying that the talks began at 10 a.m.

Wednesday's talk was assumed to focus on preventing armed conflicts between rivals ahead of the planned senior-level dialogues in November in which reunion of families divided by the Korean civil war is slated for discussions.

On Sunday, North Korea vowed to militarily "annihilate" the activist group that sent anti-propaganda leaflets denouncing Kim Jong-un and his regime.

Pyongyang also threatened to intensify attacks against activists if balloons continue to fly into North's border, citing that such provocations are "little short of a declaration of a war," the International Business Times quoted Yonhap, as reporting.

Pyongyang also warned of canceling talks in November, if Seoul would continue to allow the balloon campaign. Seoul responded that while it may urge campaigners not to inflame tensions, it has no legal power to stop activists from letting off anti-Pyongyang balloons.  

TagsNorth Korea, north-south korea relations, DMZ