Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has warned that unspecified new countermeasures are on alert, threatening Seoul with "the most horrible and distressing situation" if it continues to interfere in the North's internal affairs. The statement was issued on Thursday, October 22, following her visit to fortification sites with senior military officials on Wednesday.
Loudspeakers to Be Activated
During the visit, Kim said her country will activate anti-South Korea loudspeakers across the border by the end of October. These loudspeakers, a feature of Cold War-era psychological warfare campaigns, were used to broadcast propaganda across the border. South Korea has previously broadcast K-pop music and news, which have long rattled Pyongyang and prompted tit-for-tat responses.
The countries are separated by a demilitarised zone, established after the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953. Tensions along the border have risen in recent years as North Korea added mines, barbed wire fences, and anti-tank barriers in line with its policy of cutting ties with the South.
Military Positions and Warnings
Kim said tactical units had taken up new positions. She also accused South Korean troops of conducting warning broadcasts and warning shots near the border, which the South said were fired as "legitimate and defensive measures". Kim threatened that North Korea will "mercilessly eliminate" Southern forces if warning fire resulted in harm to North Korean territory or personnel.
South Korea's defence ministry said in a news briefing that Seoul would take "proportionate measures" if North Korea acted on its threats.
Death Rumours Denied
The warning comes after KCNA released photographs apparently showing Kim Jong Un and his daughter visiting a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on Monday. The images were published a day after a US-based Chinese dissident claimed on social media that Kim had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in a hospital in Beijing. No evidence was provided to support the claims.
