North Korea has threatened to revive a Cold War-era psychological warfare campaign along its southern border, as Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister warned Seoul it could face “the most horrible and distressing situation” if it continued to interfere in Pyongyang’s affairs.
Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would place anti-South Korea loudspeakers on standby by the end of October, while warning that unspecified countermeasures were ready for deployment.
The latest escalation comes amid mounting tensions along the heavily fortified border separating the two countries.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 22, Kim accused South Korean troops of conducting warning broadcasts and firing warning shots at several locations near the frontier. She said North Korean tactical units had moved into new positions and threatened a forceful response if South Korean actions caused harm to North Korean territory or personnel.
Her warning was explicit: North Korean forces would “mercilessly eliminate” South Korean troops if the conditions she outlined were met.
Seoul has defended its actions as legitimate self-defence. South Korea’s defence ministry said warning shots had been fired as “legitimate and defensive measures” and warned that it would take “proportionate measures” if Pyongyang acted on its threats.
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The exchange raises the risk of a further deterioration in relations between the two neighbours, whose border has become increasingly militarised in recent years.
The proposed loudspeaker campaign would revive one of the most recognisable forms of psychological warfare used by the rival Koreas during periods of confrontation.
Both sides have historically broadcast propaganda across the border, seeking to undermine the other’s leadership and influence troops and civilians. South Korean broadcasts have included news reports and K-pop music — cultural material that has long unsettled Pyongyang’s tightly controlled information environment.
North Korea has frequently responded to such campaigns with its own broadcasts and other hostile measures.
Kim’s latest threat follows her criticism of Seoul earlier this week and warnings that additional weapons could be deployed along the border. Her announcement came after she visited fortification sites alongside senior military officials on Wednesday.
The two countries remain separated by the demilitarised zone established under the 1953 armistice that halted fighting in the Korean War. The conflict ended without a formal peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically still at war.
Tensions have intensified as North Korea expands its front-line defences, including mines, barbed-wire fences and anti-tank barriers, as part of a broader policy of severing ties with the South.
The latest threats suggest that military fortification is being accompanied by renewed psychological pressure, increasing the potential for confrontation over even limited incidents along the frontier.
The escalation comes as North Korean state media released photographs apparently showing Kim Jong Un and his daughter visiting a clothing and footwear exhibition in Pyongyang on Monday.
For Seoul, the immediate challenge is to deter further North Korean provocations without allowing a border incident to spiral into a wider confrontation. For Pyongyang, the threatened return of loudspeaker warfare signals that its campaign against the South is expanding beyond physical barriers and military deployments into a renewed battle for influence along one of the world’s most heavily militarised borders.
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