North Korea's Kim Yo Jong says border loudspeakers to resume, troops told to act
In short
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said after a border inspection that anti-Seoul loudspeaker broadcasts will resume along the border within October. North Korean state media said border troops were told to take "prompt and resolute action" if South Korean forces threaten their safety.
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Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Wednesday that her government will resume anti-Seoul propaganda broadcasts across the border with South Korea this month. AP reported that the move revives a psychological warfare campaign as tensions rise after land mine blasts injured three South Korean frontline soldiers. She made the statement after visiting frontline areas where soldiers are reinforcing the border. [ 3 ]
"Our tactical hunting teams are taking new positions, and within October, the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the ROK will be in operation along the whole border," Kim Yo Jong said. A Reuters headline said the loudspeakers would be ready within days. [ 3 , 6 ]
She toured the area with Marshal Pak Jong Chon and called the fortification work a "sacred and great undertaking" supporting the leader's policy of permanently severing ties with South Korea. AP said KCNA first reported the visit as Tuesday, but a separate statement later corrected it to early Wednesday. CNN reported that the inspection took place on Tuesday, according to KCNA. [ 3 , 5 ]
KCNA also said North Korea told its border troops to take "prompt and resolute action" if South Korean forces threaten their safety. CNN said the report came a day after Seoul pledged to punish "resolutely" any further provocation by Pyongyang. Kim Yo Jong said new firepower units had "taken their firing positions" at the border. [ 5 ]
Kim Yo Jong renewed a threat to retaliate against any South Korean provocation targeting the fortification work. She warned that if South Korean warning shots, which Seoul says are meant to force North Korean soldiers doing fortification work back across the border, cause "actual harm to our territorial security and our service persons' safety," North Korean border guards "will show no mercy for the armed gangsters bereft of reason." [ 3 ]
Seoul says Pyongyang has sent up to 7,000 workers to the border this year, with about 50 crossings of the Military Demarcation Line to the South's side. CNN reported that Pak rejected the allegation as an "absurd assertion" designed to shift blame. Pak said the North Korean army knew where the border lay "better than any others" and urged soldiers to turn it into an "impregnable fortress." [ 5 ]
CNN said tensions have risen since North Korea began fortifying its border in April 2024. South Korea said North Korean mines caused a border blast last month that seriously wounded two of its soldiers, and it called on Pyongyang to suspend the fortification work. AP said North Korea has been adding mines, barbed wire fences and anti-tank barriers to the border. [ 3 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The reports describe rising tension along a heavily armed border, with both sides issuing warnings over fortification work and warning shots. CNN's report says the instruction to troops raises the risk of a clash.
Key facts
- Kim Yo Jong said "within October" the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against South Korea will operate along the whole border. [ 3 ]
- Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected border fortifications accompanied by Kim Yo Jong, KCNA reported. [ 3 , 5 ]
- North Korea told border troops to take "prompt and resolute action" if South Korean forces threaten their safety, state media said. [ 5 ]
- Kim Yo Jong said North Korean border guards "will show no mercy" if South Korean warning shots cause actual harm to North Korean territorial security and service members' safety. [ 3 ]
- Seoul says Pyongyang has sent up to 7,000 workers to the border this year, with about 50 crossings of the Military Demarcation Line. [ 5 ]
- Pak Jong Chon dismissed Seoul's allegation as an "absurd assertion" designed to shift blame, KCNA reported. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kim Yo Jong and Marshal Pak Jong Chon visited and inspected North Korean border fortifications with South Korea. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- North Korea warned that its border forces would respond to South Korean provocation or threats to their safety. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
- Kim Yo Jong said loudspeakers aimed at South Korea would be operating along the border. [ 3 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Which day the border visit took place. CNN says Pak inspected the border on Tuesday, while AP says KCNA first reported the visit as Tuesday and later corrected it to early Wednesday.
- How many South Korean soldiers were injured and when. AP refers to land mine blasts that injured three South Korean frontline soldiers; CNN says South Korea reported a blast last month that seriously wounded two soldiers.
- When the loudspeakers will be ready. AP quotes Kim Yo Jong saying within October; a Reuters headline says within days; no document gives a date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Reuters published a report on the North Korean Army chief inspecting the border and saying troops must act if provoked. [ 1 ]
- AP published a report on the leader's sister inspecting border fortifications and warning South Korea. [ 2 ]
- CNN published a report that North Korea told border troops to take resolute action if the South threatens their safety. [ 5 ]
- Reuters published a report that Kim Yo Jong warned South Korea and said border loudspeakers would be ready within days. [ 6 ]