Kim Yo Jong has threatened South Korea with "the most horrible and distressing situation" as North Korea prepares to activate Cold War-era loudspeakers along the border for psychological warfare broadcasts.
In a statement on Thursday, October 22, Kim issued a stark warning to Seoul, threatening the unspecified countermeasures if South Korea continued to meddle in the North's internal affairs.
Loudspeakers Set for Activation
Kim inspected fortification sites alongside senior military officials on Wednesday before announcing that her country will activate anti-South Korea loudspeakers across the border by the end of October. The loudspeakers, dating back to the Cold War era, are set to be placed on standby along North Korea's southern border within days.
Loudspeaker broadcasts were a hallmark of Cold War-era psychological warfare, with both nations blasting propaganda across the border. South Korea previously broadcast K-pop music and news bulletins, which consistently infuriated Pyongyang and sparked tit-for-tat responses.
Border Tensions Escalate
The two nations are divided by a demilitarised zone, established after the Korean War concluded with an armistice in 1953. Border tensions have escalated sharply in recent years, with North Korea laying mines, erecting barbed wire fences and installing anti-tank barriers as part of its policy of severing ties with the South.
Kim revealed that tactical units had moved into new positions, while also levelling accusations at South Korean troops of conducting warning broadcasts and firing warning shots near the border - actions which Seoul described as "legitimate and defensive measures".
Threats and Responses
Kim issued a chilling threat that North Korea will "mercilessly eliminate" Southern forces should any warning fire cause harm to North Korean territory or its personnel. South Korea's defence ministry responded in a press briefing, stating that Seoul would take "proportionate measures" should North Korea follow through on its threats.
The warnings emerged after state news agency KCNA released photographs apparently depicting Kim Jong-un and his daughter touring a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on Monday. The images surfaced just one day after a US-based Chinese dissident took to social media claiming that Kim had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in a Beijing hospital, though no evidence was put forward to substantiate the claims.
