Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said new firepower units have taken their firing positions along the border with South Korea, according to state-run media.
During a visit to frontline areas on Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong inspected soldiers reinforcing the heavily armed border, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Her visit came amid rumours that her brother had died, which KCNA appeared to counter by releasing photographs of Kim Jong-un at a public event.
Rising Tensions Along the Border
Tensions between North and South Korea have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its border in April 2024. Last month, three South Korean soldiers were injured in landmine blasts that Seoul's military blamed on devices planted by North Korea.
"Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions," Kim Yo-jong reportedly said during her visit.
Seoul's Response
Her remarks came a day after Seoul warned that it would respond firmly to further North Korean provocations. Earlier this month, South Korea formally blamed North Korea-planted landmines for the blasts and urged the North to apologise and clear its remaining mines. North Korea has denied responsibility for the explosions and warned of strong retaliation if provoked.
Kim Yo-jong's border inspection came a day after she warned that the North could deploy more powerful weapons along the border. She accused Seoul of firing warning shots and broadcasting messages over loudspeakers on the pretext that North Korean soldiers had crossed the border, saying such provocations had escalated "beyond the red line" since the mine blasts.
Military Fortifications
Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, described Kim Yo-jong's threat as "intolerable" and ordered the military to "respond with firm resolve" to potential provocations from Pyongyang.
In recent years, North Korea has added landmines, barbed-wire fences, anti-tank barriers and other fortifications to what is already one of the world's most heavily armed borders.
The announcement came 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.
