Kim Yo Jong says North Korea is weighing resuming loudspeaker broadcasts at South
In short
Kim Yo Jong, director of North Korea's Workers' Party General Affairs Department, said on 19 October that the situation on the "southern border" is "very unstable". She said the North's military leadership is reviewing a build-up of tactical strike means near the border and a resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at South Korea. She tied this to South Korean warning broadcasts and warning shots along the military demarcation line.
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Kim Yo Jong, director of North Korea's Workers' Party General Affairs Department, said on 19 October that "the situation on the southern border is very unstable", according to a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency under the title "We do not talk about defending sovereignty in words". Chosun Ilbo described her as the sister of State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un. She said North Korea's military leadership is reviewing, as a pre-emptive measure against contingencies, a build-up of tactical strike means near the whole southern border line and a resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts at South Korea. She added that it is also considering other measures it deems necessary. [ 2 , 4 , 7 , 11 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 22 ]
She accused South Korean forces of firing automatic rifles and large-caliber machine guns as warning fire, and of making what she called baseless claims that North Korean personnel working on southern border barrier construction had crossed the line. She claimed that from 1 August to 17 October there were 2,870 loudspeaker warning broadcasts and 201 rounds of warning fire, and said these had become more blatant after a "staged mine explosion" was fabricated. She also said that from 1 to 17 October there were 998 broadcasts and 91 rounds of fire, including more than 350 broadcasts and more than 60 rounds from 15 to 17 October. She named units of the South's 2nd and 3rd Corps, including a military police post under the 21st Division in the demilitarised zone. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 22 ]
Kim also said the Lee Jae-myung government, which had promoted reconciliation and peace early in its term, was pursuing confrontation that far exceeded that of the Yoon Suk Yeol government. She warned that Seoul would face danger it could hardly bear. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 15 , 22 ]
South Korean outlets gave the background to the statement. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the military judged North Korean troops to have crossed the military demarcation line about 50 times in August and September, and that it responded with warning broadcasts and fire. Newsis said North Korea has been carrying out border fortification work along the line, including laying mines, and that the South Korean military responds under set procedures. Chosun Ilbo and Newsis reported that on the 21st of last month a mine blast in the western DMZ injured three South Korean soldiers, which North Korea calls staged. Kyunghyang Shinmun said the government announced that the blast was caused by a mine North Korean troops had laid. [ 4 , 7 , 14 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that South Korea halted its broadcasts toward the North on 11 June last year and North Korea stopped its own the next day. Kyunghyang Shinmun quoted Cho Han-bum of the Korea Institute for National Unification as saying North Korea may have raised the issue first to pre-empt a South Korean resumption of broadcasts. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, said Pyongyang may be trying to leave Seoul no good option. Cho Yong-geun, a Kyungnam University professor, told Hankook Ilbo the statement warns that the North could resume broadcasts if the South keeps obstructing its fortification work. [ 7 , 22 ]
Why it matters
Loudspeaker broadcasts between the two Koreas have been halted since June of last year, according to Hankook Ilbo, so a resumption would end that pause. South Korean outlets quote analysts who say it could raise military tension at the border and who disagree on North Korea's motive.
Key facts
- Kim Yo Jong issued a statement titled "We do not talk about defending sovereignty in words" on 19 October, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency. [ 2 , 7 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 22 ]
- She said North Korea's military leadership is reviewing deploying more tactical strike means near the whole southern border line and resuming loudspeaker broadcasts at South Korea, and is considering other measures it deems necessary. [ 4 , 7 , 11 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]
- She claimed South Korea carried out 2,870 loudspeaker warning broadcasts and 201 rounds of warning fire from 1 August to 17 October. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 22 ]
- She said that from 15 to 17 October there were more than 350 warning broadcasts and more than 60 rounds of warning fire. [ 2 , 14 , 22 ]
- She said the Lee Jae-myung government's confrontation with North Korea surpasses that of the Yoon Suk Yeol government, and warned that Seoul would face danger it could hardly bear. [ 2 , 4 , 11 , 15 , 22 ]
- Loudspeaker broadcasts between the two sides have been suspended since last year, when South Korea stopped its broadcasts on 11 June and North Korea stopped the next day, Hankook Ilbo reported. [ 22 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kim Yo Jong said on 19 October that North Korea is reviewing resuming loudspeaker broadcasts at South Korea and deploying more tactical strike means near the southern border line. [ 2 , 4 , 7 , 11 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 22 ]
- Kim claimed 2,870 warning broadcasts and 201 rounds of warning fire by South Korea between 1 August and 17 October. [ 2 , 4 , 7 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 22 ]
- Kim criticised the Lee Jae-myung government as exceeding the Yoon Suk Yeol government in confrontation with North Korea. [ 2 , 4 , 7 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 22 ]
- A mine blast in the western DMZ on the 21st of last month injured three South Korean soldiers, and North Korea calls it staged. [ 4 , 14 ]
Still unclear
- Whether North Korean troops crossed the military demarcation line South Korea's military judges they did, while Kim called the claims baseless; the documents give no independent verification.
- The numbers of warning broadcasts and warning shots They are Kim's figures as reported by North Korean media, and the documents do not confirm them with South Korean data.
- The cause of the 21st of last month DMZ mine blast The South Korean government said North Korean mines caused it, while North Korea says it was staged.
- Whether North Korea will actually resume broadcasts or deploy more strike means Kim said only that these are under review.
- North Korea's motive Analysts quoted by Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo offer different readings, including pre-empting a South Korean resumption and obstructing the South's border operations.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap flashes Kim Yo Jong's statement that the southern border is very unstable and loudspeaker broadcasts are under review. [ 1 ]
- Newsis and Yonhap publish fuller reports on the statement. [ 13 , 14 ]
- Yonhap publishes a comprehensive version of its report. [ 19 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports on the statement with expert analysis. [ 22 ]