Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Wednesday that loudspeakers would be placed along the entire border, following a visit with top military officials to fortifications along the contested frontier. In a follow-up statement on Thursday, she warned Seoul of "the most horrible and distressing situation" if the South continued what Pyongyang calls interference in its internal affairs, and said North Korea would place "new counter means" on alert, with loudspeakers on "standby" within days.
Tensions have risen since a landmine blast last month wounded three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Seoul accused North Korean troops of deliberately laying mines as part of the North's fortification work. Kim denied the allegation, calling the incident a South Korean fabrication, and said North Korean tactical units had taken up new positions. She also accused South Korean troops of conducting warning broadcasts and firing warning shots at multiple locations. Seoul said the shots were fired as "legitimate and defensive measures".
South Korea's Ministry of National Defence urged the North on Thursday to discuss measures to ease border tensions and prevent any accidental military clash. Pyongyang had previously cut off a military hotline with the South after declaring it would no longer seek dialogue or unification.
Both sides have historically used loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda across the border, with South Korean broadcasts featuring K-pop music and news that have long irked Pyongyang. North Korea has been reinforcing its side of the DMZ with mines, barbed wire, anti-tank barriers and fencing since 2024.