North Korea warns of ‘grave situation’ at border, weighs more tactical weapons

Seoul, Oct 19 - The sister of North Korea's leader, Kim Yo Jong, warned on Tuesday that a "grave situation is prevailing" along the Southern border, citing heightened tensions with South Korea and the recent actions of the ROK military. In an English-language statement released by the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim stated that the "reckless behavior" of South Korean forces had pushed the border to a dangerous threshold.

Kim's comments come as North Korea has been increasing weapons tests, including a new "precision-guided torpedo system" with artificial intelligence capabilities. The sister of the North Korean leader accused South Korea of firing warning shots, operating propaganda loudspeakers, and staging a "mine explosion farce" - incidents she deemed to have crossed the "red line".

North Korea has denied responsibility for a mine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) last month. The joint investigation by Seoul and the United Nations Command concluded that the blast was caused by North Korean mines planted on the South Korean side of the border.

During her statement, Kim suggested that North Korea is considering deploying more tactical strike means along the southern border as a preemptive and suppressive measure. She did not provide further details on the nature of these tactical strikes. Kim also mentioned that North Korea is reviewing the possibility of resuming loudspeaker broadcasts against the ROK and exploring other necessary and appropriate measures.

The sister of the North Korean leader warned that continued provocations from South Korea would lead to "uncontrollably terrible danger" for Seoul. In 2024, North Korea sent thousands of trash-carrying balloons into South Korean territory, in retaliation for anti-North propaganda balloons floated by South Korean activists. In response, South Korea turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years, playing K-pop music and international news.

North Korea then started transmitting strange sounds along the frontier, causing distress among South Korean residents. Historically, loudspeaker broadcasts have prompted Pyongyang to threaten artillery strikes on Seoul's speaker units. South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung has expressed a willingness to engage with the nuclear-armed North, offering dialogue without preconditions - a shift from his more aggressive predecessor.

Last year, South Korea's defence ministry removed loudspeakers from its side of the border as a practical step to ease tensions with the North.