North Korea deploys new military units to firing positions near South Korea.
Kim Yo Jong warns of stronger weapons and propaganda broadcasts.
Seoul vows a firm response to potential North Korean provocations.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said that North Korea had deployed new military units to “firing positions”. Her remarks came days after Pyongyang said it was considering sending additional strike capabilities to its border with South Korea.
In her statement, Kim Yo Jong said, “Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions," according to India Today
Tensions between the two countries have risen since Seoul blamed North Korea last month for an explosion inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which separates them. South Korea said the blast was caused by landmines planted by the North, which has denied the allegation.
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Yo Jong also visited the areas on Tuesday alongside Korean People’s Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon, a senior military official under her brother, Kim Jong Un.
She described the fortification work as a “sacred and great undertaking” that supports the leader’s policy of permanently cutting ties with South Korea.
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Kim Jong Un has declared South Korea his most hostile adversary as diplomatic efforts with Washington remain stalled, AP reported.
A day before inspecting the border, Kim Yo Jong warned that North Korea could resume loudspeaker propaganda aimed at South Korea, a tactic it has used for psychological warfare in the past.
She also said Pyongyang could position more powerful weapons along the border. Kim accused South Korean forces of directing warning broadcasts at North Korean troops and firing warning shots at them.
Rising Tension Between Both Countries
Seoul has warned Pyongyang against any military provocation after Kim Yo Jong’s latest threat. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Jin Yong-Sung, described her remarks as “intolerable” and instructed troops to “sternly respond” if the North takes provocative action.
North Korea has been reinforcing its border with South Korea by laying landmines, erecting barbed-wire fences and installing anti-tank barriers. The buildup has continued under Kim Jong Un, whose government has adopted an increasingly hostile approach towards Seoul.
South Korean military officials reported that North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line 50 times this year while carrying out construction work along the border. South Korean forces responded with warning shots and loudspeaker broadcasts, according to the military.
