(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Bo-ram Yoon = North Korean Workers' Party General Affairs Director Kim Yo-jong announced on the 19th that she was considering deploying increased military power and resuming loudspeaker broadcasts to South Korea, protesting against the South Korean military's measures such as warning shots in response to violations of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Director Kim expressed this position in a statement this afternoon titled, “We do not defend our sovereignty in words.”
Director Kim said, “The situation on the southern border is very unstable right now,” and “A bloody situation is being created in the southern border area due to the reckless behavior of Korean military thugs.”
He passed on responsibility, saying that in the event of an MDL violation during North Korea's so-called 'border line fortification' work, the South Korean military's warning broadcasts and warning shots would threaten the safety of the North Korean military and intensify the situation.
He also described the Korean military's loudspeaker warning broadcast as a 'provocation' and called the Korean military's judgment that it was a violation of the MDL a 'groundless cavil.'
According to the rules of engagement, the military will broadcast a warning if there are signs of invasion, such as when North Korean troops approach the MDL, and if they invade south of the MDL, they will fire warning shots and take action to evict.
Regarding this, Director Kim claimed, "From August 1st to October 17th, there were as many as 2,870 loudspeaker warning broadcast provocations and 201st warning shots," adding, "The enemy's sparring has become more blatant after manipulating the 'landmine explosion play' and is crossing the line."
In particular, "The places where warning broadcast provocations are frequent are the guard posts in the areas of the 7th and 15th Infantry Divisions of the 2nd Corps and the 21st and 22nd Infantry Divisions of the 3rd Corps of the Korean Army, and the place where warning shooting provocations are frequently carried out is the 278th Military Police Post in the Demilitarized Zone of the 21st Infantry Division of the 3rd Corps," he said. "From October 1 to 17 alone, loudspeaker warning broadcasts were made. “There were 998 provocations and 91 warning shots,” he said, listing specific figures.
At the same time, he pointed out, "In particular, during the period from October 15th to 17th, in various areas of the southern border, they simultaneously carried out serious acts of escalating the situation by making about 350 provocative warning broadcasts through loudspeakers and firing warning shots about 60 times."
He continued, "In response to the current situation, as a preemptive and suppressive measure, our military leadership is reviewing the issue of reinforcing the deployment of tactical strike means near the former southern border in case of an emergency and resuming Korean loudspeaker broadcasts, and is also considering such measures as are deemed necessary and appropriate."
North Korea stopped loudspeaker broadcasts to South Korea after the Lee Jae-myung administration stopped loudspeaker broadcasts to North Korea as a preemptive measure of trust in the early days of its launch. It is interpreted as a threat to resume the MDL border crossing under the pretext of our military's response.
In addition, following the statement made at the end of last month that mentioned 'reinforcement of tactical counterattack means', the deployment of 'tactical strike means' was again threatened, and the possibility of reinforcing direct fire and close-range firepower for units adjacent to the DMZ was mentioned.
Director Kim also fiercely criticized the Lee Jae-myung administration, saying, "The anti-Republican government of the Lee Jae-myung administration, which has promoted 'reconciliation' and 'peace' from the beginning of its administration and presented a 'conciliatory appearance,' is far surpassing the vicious conservative Yoon Seok-yeol government, which was blatantly promoting anti-communism."
At the same time, he threatened, “Seoul will definitely regret it and face an unbearable risk due to the useless tricks of a group of military thugs.”
