A quiet border that both Koreas once tried to forget is filling up again with mines, wire and warnings, and the old instruments of psychological war are being reached for once more. On a Monday in October, North Korea's Kim Yo Jong threatened to turn the loudspeakers back on and move more weapons south, answering a set of mine blasts that maimed three South Korean soldiers and that each capital blames on the other. It is the familiar shape of a crisis that has happened before, in 2015, when the same kind of explosion pushed two armies to the edge of war. Whether the threat hardens into action
North Korea Threatens to Resume Loudspeaker Broadcasts and Deploy More Weapons at Southern Border
Three South Korean soldiers were injured in mine blasts at the border on Sept. 21.
Three soldiers hurt, two accounts, and a loudspeaker threat from 2015
Mark
Why does a threat about loudspeakers matter so much?
Mimi
Because of 2015. Mine blasts maimed two South Korean soldiers, Seoul restarted broadcasts after 11 years, and the Koreas came close to armed conflict. This setup looks familiar.
Luke
Familiar, but not identical. The source says the 2015 blasts were blamed on North Korea. This time Seoul formally blamed Pyongyang for the Sept. 21 blasts, and Pyongyang denies it.
Mark
What is Kim Yo Jong actually claiming?
Mimi
That South Korea fired warning shots and made warning broadcasts numerous times since August, over North Korean soldiers crossing the border. She says that has gone beyond the red line.
Luke
That's her account. South Korea's military says there were 50 violations of the demarcation line this year during North Korean fortification work, and that it answered with warning shots and broadcasts. The two accounts overlap on the events but disagree on who is provoking whom.
Mark
Is this a firm decision?
Mimi
No. She said the military is considering deploying more tactical strike means and resuming broadcasts.
Luke
Right, considering. Nothing in the reporting confirms any deployment yet, and Seoul hadn't responded when this was written.
Mark
And the wider context?
Mimi
Lee's government halted its broadcasts, North Korea later stopped its own, and Pyongyang has been testing more weapons.
Luke
The reason for the testing is the reporter's read: a likely bid to pressure Washington. It's not something North Korea has stated here.
The Pulse
- Three South Korean soldiers were wounded on Sept. 21 when mines blew up along the border, and Seoul says North Korean-planted devices caused the blasts.
- Pyongyang denies responsibility and accuses Seoul of firing warning shots and broadcasts beyond what it calls a red line.
- Kim Yo Jong has threatened to resume loudspeaker propaganda and move more tactical weapons to the southern frontier as a preemptive measure.
- The loudspeakers have been silent since President Lee Jae Myung halted them to ease ties, so restarting them would reopen a 2015-style standoff.
- Seoul has not yet answered the threat, and the outcome now hinges on whether either side deploys or broadcasts first.
A quiet border that both Koreas once tried to forget is filling up again with mines, wire and warnings, and the old instruments of psychological war are being reached for once more. On a Monday in October, North Korea's Kim Yo Jong threatened to turn the loudspeakers back on and move more weapons south, answering a set of mine blasts that maimed three South Korean soldiers and that each capital blames on the other. It is the familiar shape of a crisis that has happened before, in 2015, when the same kind of explosion pushed two armies to the edge of war. Whether the threat hardens into action or fades into rhetoric will depend on how both sides choose to remember that earlier moment.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, issued a statement threatening to switch the loudspeakers back on and to send more weapons toward the southern border. The threat follows mine blasts on Sept. 21 that injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul has formally blamed mines planted by the North and has demanded an apology and the removal of the remaining mines. Pyongyang rejects that account and warns of strong retaliation.
Kim's version reverses the story. She accuses South Korean troops of repeated warning shots and broadcasts since August, based on what she calls a baseless claim that North Korean soldiers had crossed the line, and she says those actions have now gone past a red line. The border has grown dense with fortifications, and South Korea's military says North Korean soldiers crossed the demarcation line 50 times this year while building them, each time met with warning shots and broadcasts.
The loudspeakers carry memory. In 2015, mine blasts maimed two South Korean soldiers, and Seoul restarted front-line broadcasts for the first time in 11 years, bringing the two Koreas close to armed conflict. Since President Lee Jae Myung took office, his government has kept the broadcasts silent in pursuit of better ties, and the North later stopped its own. Now the threat returns that old tool just as Pyongyang steps up weapons testing, likely hoping to press Washington for larger concessions while President Donald Trump seeks to restart diplomacy with Kim Jong Un. The open question is whether the North acts on its threat and how Seoul responds.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, put out a statement threatening to turn the loudspeakers back on. She said North Korea's military was weighing two steps: moving more weapons to the southern border and resuming propaganda broadcasts aimed at South Korea.
The statement follows the Sept. 21 mine blasts at the border, which injured three South Korean soldiers. Earlier this month, Seoul formally blamed mines planted by North Korea for the explosions. It urged Pyongyang to apologize and to remove other mines. North Korea had already denied responsibility and warned of strong retaliation if provoked.
Kim Yo Jong's account runs the other way. She accused South Korea of firing warning shots and making warning broadcasts numerous times since August, on what she called an unreasonable pretext that North Korean soldiers had crossed the border. She said these actions have gone beyond the red line since the mine blasts. In her words, a grave situation is prevailing along the southern border because of the reckless behavior of what she called South Korean military gangsters. She said the North was considering deploying more tactical strike means there as a preemptive and suppressive measure, along with resuming the loudspeaker broadcasts.
The background is a border that has grown more crowded with fortifications. North Korea has been adding mines, barbed wire fences, anti-tank barriers and other front-line works, in line with its policy of ending ties with the South. The frontier is already one of the most heavily fortified in the world.
South Korea's military has said North Korean soldiers violated the military demarcation line 50 times this year while carrying out that work. It said it responded each time with warning shots and warning broadcasts. It did not immediately respond to Monday's North Korean threat.
The loudspeakers carry history. In 2015, mine blasts blamed on North Korea maimed two South Korean soldiers. South Korea then resumed front-line loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in 11 years, and the two Koreas were pushed to the brink of armed conflict. The broadcasts are a Cold War-era form of psychological warfare that both sides have used in times of confrontation.
That tool had gone quiet. Since taking office last year, President Lee Jae Myung's liberal government halted the broadcasts as part of an effort to improve ties with the North, and North Korea later stopped its own.
The threat also lands amid a wider North Korean push. Pyongyang has recently stepped up weapons testing, likely in a bid to pressure the United States for bigger concessions, after President Donald Trump renewed efforts to restore diplomacy with Kim Jong Un.
What to watch is whether the North actually deploys more weapons or restarts the broadcasts, and how Seoul answers, given that its own broadcasts were halted under Lee.
Notable Quotes
A grave situation is prevailing along the southern border due to the reckless behavior of the ROK military gangsters.— Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong Un
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