Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korea’s leader, said on Wednesday that by the end of October, the DPRK would deploy loudspeakers for anti-South Korean propaganda along the entire border. The move will lead to a further escalation of tensions along the heavily fortified border, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
The publication notes that this development threatens one of the achievements of which the South Korean president’s administration was most proud. It concerns the suspension of South Korean broadcasts and the dismantling of fixed loudspeakers, carried out last year.
In a sharply worded statement released by the state news agency KCNA after visiting the border area, Kim said that North Korean tactical units were taking up new positions. She called the deployment of loudspeakers along the entire border “the most legitimate measure and an adequate response” to South Korea’s actions.
“Our tactical groups are taking up new positions, and during October, loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the Republic of Korea will operate along the entire border,” she said, using South Korea’s official name.
According to her, on Wednesday morning she and Marshal of the North Korean Army Pak Jong Chon visited several sections of the border and confirmed that the border area was completely blocked off and being actively fortified.
Kim accused the South Korean military of using loudspeakers to issue warnings in at least two locations on Wednesday, as well as firing warning shots. She noted that North Korean troops were currently showing restraint while carefully preparing for any possible development.
“If the enemy’s provocative warning fire goes beyond its stated purpose and causes real harm to the security of our territory or our soldiers, our border troops will mercilessly destroy the armed bandits who have lost their minds,” she said.
The statement came a day after Seoul promised to “resolutely” punish Pyongyang for any further provocations if the DPRK moved to implement its threats to strengthen its military presence along the border.
According to KCNA, Kim said that new fire units had already “taken up their combat positions” along the border. The military leader called for turning the border into an “impregnable fortress.”
Additionally
Tensions between North and South Korea have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its border in April 2024. The two countries are separated by a demilitarized zone established after the end of the Korean War, when an armistice agreement was signed in 1953.
According to Seoul, this year Pyongyang sent up to 7,000 workers to the border; around 50 instances were recorded in which they crossed the Military Demarcation Line — the boundary running through the middle of the demilitarized zone — toward South Korea.
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According to KCNA, North Korea rejected Seoul’s accusations on Wednesday: Pak called them a “groundless claim” aimed at shifting the blame onto others.
Pak said that North Korean soldiers knew where the border ran “better than anyone else” and were merely carrying out necessary actions on their own territory. He also called on soldiers to turn the border into an “impregnable fortress.”
South Korea said that an explosion occurred at the border last month, caused by North Korean mines, seriously injuring two South Korean soldiers. Seoul called on Pyongyang to halt construction work on the fortifications.
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