NK leader's sister calls situation at southern border 'very unstable'
Summary
Kim Yo-jong said Monday that the situation along the southern border is very unstable, amid tensions over a land mine explosion that severely injured two South Korean soldiers. She blamed South Korea for threatening North Korean troops and said the North is considering resuming loudspeaker broadcasts and deploying additional tactical strike means along the border. Kim also warned Seoul of uncontrollably terrible danger while criticizing President Lee Jae Myung’s government.
Key Facts
- Kim claimed South Korea conducted 2,870 loudspeaker broadcasts and fired 201 warning shots between Aug. 1 and Oct. 17.
- North Korea has repeatedly denied responsibility for the land mine explosion and rejected Seoul’s conclusion that North Korean mines caused the blast.
- Kim said the North Korean military is considering more tactical strike means along the border and the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts.
- South Korea suspended its border loudspeaker broadcasts last year as part of President Lee Jae Myung’s effort to restore inter-Korean trust, after which North Korea also halted its broadcasts.
Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un attends wreath laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam in this March 2, 2019 file photo. Reuters-Yonhap
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Monday the situation at the southern border is "very unstable," noting the North is reviewing a possible resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.
The remarks came after Pyongyang has repeatedly denied responsibility for a land mine explosion last month that severely injured two South Korean soldiers and dismissed Seoul's findings that land mines deliberately planted by North Korea were the cause of the blast.
"Now the situation of the southern border is very unstable. A grave situation is prevailing along the southern border due to the reckless behavior of the ROK military gangsters," Kim said in an English-language statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
ROK refers to the acronym of the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.
Kim accused the South Korean military of threatening North Korean soldiers and heightening tension, saying such actions have "gone beyond the red line" following what she called "a fabricated 'mine explosion farce.'"
She claimed the South conducted 2,870 rounds of loudspeaker broadcasts and fired 201 warning shots between Aug. 1 and Oct. 17.
The North Korean leader's sister also lashed out at President Lee Jae Myung's government, saying it "has far outpaced the die-hard conservative regime of Yoon Suk Yeol," while advocating reconciliation and peace.
Kim said the North Korean military is considering deploying more tactical strike means along the border and resuming loudspeaker broadcasts to deal with the situation, alongside other measures she did not further elaborate on.
"We seriously warn the ROK military gangsters against their reckless acts of aggravating the situation by constantly threatening the border security. ... Seoul will surely regret and face uncontrollably terrible danger," she said.
In response to Seoul's suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border last year, as part of Lee's push to restore inter-Korean trust, the North also halted its own border broadcasts.
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