Kim Yo Jong says North Korean loudspeakers aimed at South will run along border in October
In short
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement on 21 October that loudspeakers for psychological warfare against South Korea will enter operation along the whole border within October. She was reacting to South Korean warning broadcasts and warning shots at the line where North Korea is carrying out fortification work. Japanese outlets note it is unclear what broadcasts she has in mind.
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Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and director of the Workers' Party general affairs department, said in a statement on 21 October that loudspeakers for psychological warfare against South Korea will enter an operating state along all border lines within October. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) carried the statement, according to Jiji Press and Asahi Shimbun. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jiji reported that she was reacting to South Korean warning broadcasts and warning shots on 21 October at the military demarcation line, where North Korea is carrying out work to fortify the border. According to Asahi, she said armed suspicious persons carried out loudspeaker warning broadcasts and warning shots at no fewer than two places that day. Asahi said she had inspected the area near the line with Pak Jong Chon (朴正天), an adviser to North Korea's defense ministry. [ 1 , 2 ]
Kim Yo Jong also threatened that if North Korea answered with warning shots in a situation like that day's, the border situation would worsen beyond imagination. She said that if the enemy's warning shots actually threatened North Korean territory and soldiers, they would be dealt with without mercy, Jiji reported. [ 1 ]
Jiji wrote that in the past South Korea's military has broadcast criticism of the North Korean system and messages about South Korean prosperity, and North Korea has played noise to drown them out. It said it is not clear what broadcasts Kim Yo Jong has in mind. TBS said the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts would be the first since June of last year, and that South Korea has not ruled out resuming its own broadcasts as a countermeasure. [ 1 , 4 ]
Asahi reported that North Korean soldiers have repeatedly crossed the line during the fortification work, and that South Korea's military has responded with warning broadcasts and warning shots. In a statement on 19 October, Kim Yo Jong called the crossing accusations a pretext, criticised the South Korean response and said North Korea was considering resuming loudspeaker broadcasts. Asahi added that the chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on 20 October ordered a resolute response if the enemy commits further provocation. [ 2 ]
Asahi noted that a mine blast south of the line on 21 September injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korea concluded that North Korean mines were responsible, while North Korea has called it a staged act by South Korea. Asahi wrote that tension could rise further if loudspeaker broadcasts actually begin. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Asahi wrote that tension could rise further if loudspeaker broadcasts actually start, and TBS said the chance of serious confrontation between the two Koreas is growing. The documents give no sign yet of what the broadcasts would contain or whether they will begin.
Key facts
- Kim Yo Jong, director of the Workers' Party general affairs department, issued a statement on 21 October, carried by KCNA. [ 1 , 2 ]
- She said loudspeakers for psychological warfare against South Korea would enter an operating state along the entire border within October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- She was reacting to South Korean warning broadcasts and warning shots on 21 October near the line where North Korea is fortifying the border. [ 1 , 2 ]
- She warned that if North Korea fired warning shots in response, the border situation would worsen beyond imagination. [ 1 ]
- TBS said that if the broadcasts resume, it would be the first since June of last year. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- What kind of broadcasts Kim Yo Jong envisions. Jiji wrote that it is not clear what broadcasts she has in mind.
- Whether South Korean troops fired warning shots that threatened North Korean territory or soldiers. This is Kim Yo Jong's account, as reported by Asahi and Jiji; no document gives a South Korean account of the 21 October incident.
- Whether the September mine blast was caused by North Korea. Asahi wrote that South Korea concluded the mines were North Korean, while North Korea called it a staged act by South Korea.