North Korea tells border troops to act quickly and firmly if South Korean forces endanger them
State media KCNA says Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected border fortifications with Kim Yo Jong…
Citing state media, CNA reported that Pyongyang has instructed its frontier soldiers to respond swiftly and firmly should South Korean forces put them in danger. Reported on Wednesday (Oct 21), the instruction heightens the danger of a confrontation on the heavily armed border.
Inspection at the border
On Tuesday, Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon toured border fortifications alongside Kim Yo Jong, whom KCNA described as the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un. At the border, new firepower units had "taken their firing positions", according to Kim Yo Jong.
According to Pak, his army was well aware of the border's location, "better than any others", and was merely doing what it ought to on its own territory. Turning the border into an "impregnable fortress" was what he urged the soldiers to do.
Seoul's claims and Pyongyang's reply
By Seoul's account, as many as 7,000 workers have been dispatched by the North to the frontier this year, and about 50 incursions across the Military Demarcation Line, the line that divides the DMZ, have reached the southern side. KCNA reported that North Korea rejected these allegations on Wednesday, with Pak calling the claim an "absurd assertion" designed to shift blame.
Last month, according to South Korea, a blast at the border was caused by North Korean mines and left two of its soldiers seriously wounded. Seoul also urged Pyongyang to halt its fortification work.
The day before the North Korean report, Seoul pledged to respond "resolutely" with punishment if North Korea acts on its threats to bolster its military posture along the border and provokes further.
Background
Since Pyongyang started fortifying its border in April 2024, tensions between the two Koreas have grown. The Demilitarized Zone, created at the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War, divides the two countries.
