Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Monday that South Korea had fired warning shots on the pretext that soldiers from her country had crossed the border, and she vowed to resume “tactical broadcasts”.
“A grave situation is prevailing along the southern border due to the reckless behaviour of the ROK military gangsters,” she said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
Loudspeaker warfare
Loudspeaker broadcasts were used during the Cold War era by both North and South Korea in times of confrontation. The operations target enemy troops or civilian populations to undermine morale, spread propaganda or induce stress. Content often includes news, political commentary, music or messages from family members.
Kim Yo Jong's statement came amid swirling health fears about her brother, with claims that he is either dead or in a coma.
Unverified claims about Kim's health
Earlier this week, Wanjun Xie, chairman of the China Democracy Party, alleged in a post that Kim had passed away and that Kim Yo Jong had assumed power. The claim remains unverified.
Xie alleged that China had dispatched 9,000 troops to Pyongyang. He also claimed that a team of specialists from Beijing's Peking Union Medical College Hospital had been sent to North Korea on Saturday to treat Kim following a severe brain haemorrhage.
Xie further claimed that Kim slipped into a coma before being transferred to Beijing and that doctors were unable to save him. None of the allegations were backed by medical records, images or other independently verifiable evidence.
In response, North Korean media published “proof of life” images of the leader, showing Kim looking at children's footwear and women's coats at a garment and footwear exhibition.
Border tensions escalate
Border tensions have escalated in recent years as North Korea has installed mines, barbed wire fences, anti-tank defences and other front-line fortifications in keeping with its strategy of severing connections with the South.
This month, South Korea accused North Korea of planting mines which triggered explosions at the border on September 21. It called on the North to issue an apology and clear other mines, but North Korea rejected any involvement in the blasts and issued warnings of retaliation if provoked.
South Korea's armed forces have also asserted that North Korean troops breached the border's military demarcation line 50 times this year while carrying out fortification operations. The South responded by discharging warning shots and issuing warning announcements.
