Kim Yo Jong warns South Korea will fight back if it fires on North Korean soldiers
Quick Look
- North Korea said South Korea blamed Pyongyang for the landmine explosions in the demilitarized zone and warned it would retaliate if it opened fire on North Korean troops.
- South Korea's defense minister determined that the explosion was caused by a landmine laid by North Korea.
- The two sides accused each other of crossing the military demarcation line, escalating tensions.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
South Korea accused North Korea of laying landmines in the demilitarized zone, which injured three officers and soldiers. North Korea denied it and countered that South Korea fabricated evidence. The two sides have been in a long-term military confrontation.
Kim Yo Jong warned that South Korea would retaliate if it fires on North Korean soldiers. (AFP file photo)
North Korea said on the 30th that South Korea would pay a price for blaming Pyongyang for a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that injured three South Korean soldiers. It also warned that it would retaliate if South Korea fires on North Korean soldiers.
Reuters reported that South Korea's Defense Minister Kang Shin-cheol said on the 29th that last week's explosion was caused by a landmine laid by North Korea and that South Korea would take "corresponding measures." Kang Shin-cheol added that North Korea probably laid these landmines in the process of strengthening border defenses.
Please read on...
South Korea is investigating the explosion together with the United Nations Command (UNC), which oversees the Korean War Armistice Agreement. On the 21st of this month, South Korean troops encountered an explosion while performing a reconnaissance mission in the Demilitarized Zone, injuring three South Korean personnel.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, issued a statement through the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA, Korean Central News Agency): "After passing the responsibility for this incident to the other party, those in South Korea are trying to fabricate 'physical evidence' to prove their claims."
Kim Yo Jong is regarded by the outside world as a close confidant of Kim Jong Un and often speaks out publicly on foreign affairs. "The masterminds of the provocation should be prepared to pay the price for the farce they directed and staged," she said.
Kim Yo Jong emphasized: "This approach is despicable and dirty, but it is very consistent with the style of those in South Korea. This farce is by no means the first time." She also claimed that North Korean soldiers have never crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the center of the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korea pointed out that there were signs that North Korean soldiers had crossed the Military Demarcation Line while strengthening border defenses. In recent years, the North Korean authorities have increased their hostility towards South Korea, saying that they no longer regard reunification as a national goal and calling South Korea the "number one enemy."
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What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
South Korea will take appropriate measures to respond to North Korea's landmine accusations
Likely · Within days
North Korea will launch military counterattack if it thinks South Korea is opening fire
Possible · Within days
Open Questions
- What is the concrete evidence of who planted the mine?
- Will South Korea take any specific "corresponding measures"?
- Will this incident lead to a larger-scale military conflict?
