North Korea has threatened to deploy additional tactical strike weapons along its southern border, with Kim Jong-un’s sister warning Seoul that Pyongyang’s military has placed new firepower units in “firing positions” as tensions between the two countries intensify.
Kim Yo-jong’s remarks, reported by state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), came during a visit to border areas where North Korean troops are strengthening military positions. Her intervention signals a further hardening of Pyongyang’s stance towards South Korea, where officials have warned that the latest threats cannot be tolerated.
“Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions,” Kim said, in a statement directed at South Korea’s armed forces.
Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the threat as “intolerable” and instructed the military to respond with “firm resolve”.
The exchange comes amid a broader deterioration in relations along one of the world’s most heavily militarised borders, where competing fortification efforts, warning shots and psychological warfare have fuelled concerns about the potential for miscalculation.
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Kim Yo-jong has also warned of a “grave situation” if what she describes as provocative South Korean military activity continues. She accused Seoul of repeatedly firing warning shots and issuing alerts at the border since August, following incidents involving North Korean soldiers crossing the military demarcation line.
Pyongyang is considering deploying additional tactical strike capabilities as a “preemptive and suppressive measure” and potentially resuming loudspeaker broadcasts directed at the South, Kim said.
Such broadcasts have long formed part of the two countries’ psychological warfare campaigns. South Korea suspended its transmissions as part of efforts to improve relations, prompting the North to halt its own broadcasts.
Those efforts have done little to resolve the underlying tensions.
South Korean forces have previously accused North Korean troops of crossing the military demarcation line on 50 occasions this year while working to reinforce the border. Pyongyang has responded to some incidents with warning shots and announcements, while both sides have expanded defensive infrastructure.
North Korea has installed mines, barbed-wire fencing and anti-tank obstacles along sections of the frontier. Earlier this month, South Korea formally blamed Pyongyang for mines that exploded at the border on September 21, demanding an apology and the removal of remaining explosives. North Korea denied responsibility and warned against further provocation.
The latest confrontation has also unfolded against a backdrop of speculation about Kim Jong-un’s health. Rumours circulating on social media claimed that the North Korean leader had suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in a Beijing hospital, but no evidence was provided.
KCNA subsequently published photographs showing Kim and his daughter attending a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on Monday, providing public evidence that contradicted the online claims.
His sister’s appearance in the border region nevertheless drew attention to her prominent role in communicating Pyongyang’s security posture. Her latest warning suggests that North Korea is continuing to use military deployments and forceful public statements to signal its willingness to escalate pressure on Seoul.
For South Korea, the immediate challenge is to deter further provocations without allowing isolated border incidents to spiral into a wider confrontation. With additional weapons deployments and the possible return of loudspeaker propaganda under consideration, the risk is that a dispute over fortified positions could become another test of military restraint on the Korean peninsula.
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