Direct opposition to Military Demarcation Line warning broadcasts and gunfire
"Southern border unstable... reinforcement deployment of tactical strike means"
Possibility of resuming anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in 1 year and 4 months
Concerns over peak military tension in border regions
North Korea has pulled out the card of resuming anti-South loudspeaker broadcasts, protesting the South Korean military's warning shots and broadcasts surrounding recent landmine explosion incidents in the Demilitarized Zone. Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party, claimed that the current government's North Korea policy is more offensive than the previous administration, raising the level of military pressure in the border areas.
In a recently released statement, Vice Director Kim directly targeted the warning broadcasts and warning shots conducted by the South Korean military near the Military Demarcation Line. Specifically mentioning the number of operations conducted by units under the Army's 2nd and 3rd Corps in the central and eastern frontlines from August to the 17th of this month, she claimed that the security situation along the southern border has become extremely unstable. In effect, she framed the principled measures taken by our military in response to signs of North Korean troops violating the Military Demarcation Line as provocations.
In particular, she raised the level of political offensive against the current government. In her statement, Kim criticized that the current administration's anti-republic confrontation schemes far exceed those of the previous Yoon Suk-yeol government. She then stated that she would reinforce and deploy tactical strike means near the southern border under the pretext of military tension in the border areas. Furthermore, she warned that additional measures deemed necessary, along with the resumption of anti-South loudspeaker broadcasts, are currently under review.
This statement from North Korea is pressure coming 1 year and 4 months after our government suspended loudspeaker broadcasts as part of an appeasement policy toward the North. Although the government has drawn a line against resuming loudspeakers even after the recent landmine explosion incident, North Korea's hint at a preemptive resumption places the military confrontation surrounding the border region at a critical crossroads.