North Korea Plans Border Propaganda Broadcasts Against South Korea

North Korea plans to reactivate propaganda loudspeakers along its heavily fortified border with South Korea by the end of October, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, announced after inspecting military fortifications near the border. The move follows landmine explosions that injured three South Korean soldiers and a series of disputes over military activities along the frontier.

Kim said North Korean units were preparing to deploy loudspeakers across the entire border as Pyongyang strengthens defenses with landmines, barbed-wire fences and anti-tank barriers. Her announcement signals a renewed use of psychological warfare between the two countries after both sides previously suspended their broadcasts.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim inspected frontline positions with Marshal Pak Jong Chon, one of her brother's senior military officials. During the visit, she described the fortification campaign as a “sacred and great undertaking” supporting Kim Jong Un's policy of permanently severing ties with South Korea.

Kim also warned that North Korean forces would retaliate if South Korean military actions threatened their personnel or territorial security.

“Our tactical hunting teams are taking new positions, and within October, the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the ROK will be in operation along the whole border,” Kim Yo Jong said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

South Korea's military has said North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line 50 times this year while carrying out fortification work. Seoul said its forces responded with warning shots and broadcasts intended to push the soldiers back across the boundary.

Kim rejected South Korea's account of the crossings, describing its claims as a “false pretext.” She also accused Seoul of escalating provocations beyond an acceptable threshold following the landmine explosions.

“Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions,” Kim told soldiers during the inspection, according to KCNA.

Kim further warned that North Korean border guards would respond forcefully if South Korean warning shots caused actual harm to North Korean territory or personnel.

“will show no mercy for the armed gangsters bereft of reason,” Kim said, referring to the potential response by North Korean border guards.

South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said Thursday that Seoul would need to take “proportionate measures” in response to North Korea's planned broadcasts and military activities. She did not specify what actions the government was considering.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Jin Yong-Sung, described Kim's threats as “intolerable” and instructed the military to respond firmly to potential provocations from the North.

Pak Jong Chon also accused South Korea of making “deliberate, premeditated and absurd” allegations to shift responsibility for rising tensions. He denied that North Korean troops had crossed the border and said the North Korean military understood the boundary clearly, KCNA reported.

The latest confrontation follows landmine explosions on September 21 that injured three South Korean frontline soldiers south of the military demarcation line. After an inspection with the U.S.-led United Nations Command, South Korea formally blamed mines planted by North Korea and called on Pyongyang to apologize and remove remaining mines.

North Korea denied responsibility for the explosions, dismissed Seoul's allegations as fabricated and warned of retaliation if provoked. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it would send a letter to the United Nations Security Council identifying the blasts as a violation of the Korean War armistice and seeking an apology and discussions to prevent further escalation.

The two Koreas have periodically used loudspeaker broadcasts as a psychological warfare tactic dating back to the Cold War. South Korean broadcasts have included news and K-pop music, which have angered Pyongyang and prompted retaliatory broadcasts.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung halted Seoul's propaganda broadcasts and removed its loudspeakers after taking office in 2025 as part of efforts to improve relations. North Korea subsequently stopped its own broadcasts, but Kim Jong Un has since adopted a harder line toward Seoul, declaring South Korea a permanent enemy amid a broader diplomatic stalemate with Washington.