Pyongyang announces the establishment of “new shooting units” after intensifying tensions with Seoul

North Korea has set up new “fire units”, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, announced on Wednesday, a few days after Pyongyang threatened to deploy additional resources on its border with its southern neighbor.

Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang have escalated since South Korea last month blamed its northern neighbor for an explosion in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the two countries on North Korean landmines. Pyongyang rejects this accusation.

“Strategic positions” inspected at the border

“Our military leaders stressed the need to let these thugs know that our new firing units have been placed in firing positions,” the younger sister of the North Korean leader, considered one of the regime's heavyweights, said through state media. She spoke the day after a warning from Seoul, which threatened a “firm” response to any new North Korean provocation. Kim Yo-jong added that Kim Jong-un had “given the order to fortify the border.”

At the same time, North Korean Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected “strategic positions” on the border, the official KCNA agency said. “If enemy troops carry out a provocation that actually threatens the security of our military ... the DPRK border forces will have to carry out very effective, specialized and overwhelming military action,” he said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name.

South Korea's military said Tuesday it was "unacceptable" for North Korea to blame Seoul for escalating military tensions on the peninsula, and warned it would retaliate strongly against any further provocations. She also admitted to using both loudspeakers and warning shots as “legitimate defensive measures.”