[Anchor]
North Korea announced that Kim Yo-jong, a department director of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Marshal Pak Jong-chon, the regime's top military official, led military leaders to inspect construction sites for the "fortification of the southern border." Kim Yo-jong warned that psychological warfare loudspeakers directed at South Korea will become operational within October.
Defense correspondent Kim Tae-hun reports.
[Reporter]
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported yesterday that Marshal Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to the Ministry of National Defence, conducted on-site inspections of major points at construction sites for the "fortification of the southern border" the day before yesterday (October 20).
KCNA reported that Marshal Pak was accompanied on the inspection not only by leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea, including Department Director Kim Yo-jong and Secretary Ri Il-hwan, but also by key commanders of the Korean People's Army General Staff.
At the site, Pak made clear his intent to immediately counter any future responses by the South Korean military, stating, "If the enemy follows up warning broadcasts and warning shots with future provocations that threaten the safety of our soldiers, we must strike back immediately."
Department Director Kim Yo-jong also made specific threats against the South, stating, "We must make the gang of ruffians realize that our new 'firepower sub-units' have occupied firing positions."
However, Kim Yo-jong soon issued an additional statement claiming that KCNA had misstated the date, clarifying that her visit to the border with Pak Jong-chon occurred not the day before yesterday, but at dawn yesterday.
A key South Korean military official told SBS, "Pak Jong-chon, Kim Yo-jong, and their delegation appeared yesterday morning at a construction site for fortifications on the western front, not far from the Joint Security Area (JSA)."
The official added, "Their inspection was clearly captured by our military's surveillance assets."
The day before yesterday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Jin Young-seung visited the headquarters of the 5th Corps, which is responsible for the central front, to inspect military readiness, and North Korea's moves appear to have been made with that visit in mind.
In her follow-up statement, Kim Yo-jong threatened, "Psychological warfare loudspeakers directed at the South will be put into operation along the entire border within October."
(Video by Lee Seung-jin | Graphics by Byun Dayoung)
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