Far from Mine Blast Site, Why Threaten the Distant 21st Division?

[Anchor]

The recent landmine blast occurred in the 25th Division's sector on the Western Front. Yet the target Kim Yo-jong singled out for military retaliation in her statement was the 21st Division on the Eastern Front, far from the scene.

Reporter Kim Ayeong analyzes North Korea's intentions.

[Reporter]

South Korea's 21st Infantry Division, which Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of North Korea's Workers' Party, threatened by vowing to expand "tactical counterattack measures," is stationed in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province, on the Eastern Front and oversees the longest and widest barbed-wire fence line in the entire armed forces.

Because it is a rugged mountainous area, its terrain differs sharply from the largely flat Western Front.

During their so-called "border fortification" work, North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) roughly 20 times in August and around 30 times in September. Most of these crossings reportedly occurred in the 21st Division's sector, with warning shots reportedly fired in August.

"Border fortification work" refers to measures North Korea has intensified since 2024—after declaring a "two hostile states" doctrine—to reinforce division by treating the MDL as a national border and heavily laying barbed wire and landmines along the area.

[Kim Yeol-su / Head of Security Strategy, Korea Institute for Military Affairs: Since it is in the Taebaek Mountains, wouldn't it be more difficult and strenuous (to lay mines and conduct work) than in flat areas? As a result, (North Korean soldiers) end up crossing the MDL as well.]

Analysts also note that Kim Yo-jong's mention of "live fire" as the threshold for North Korea's counteraction aims to block South Korea from taking further responses, thereby preventing any disruption to its border fortification project targeted for completion by 2028.

[Hong Min / Senior Research Fellow, Korea Institute for National Unification: What North Korea is most conscious of regarding the border project right now is setting a threshold against South Korea taking action beyond warning shots.]

Unlike the early stage of the 2015 wooden-box landmine incident, when the Policy Department of North Korea's National Defense Commission took the lead, it is also notable that this time Kim Yo-jong, the sister of top leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement immediately.

The move is viewed as a calculated step to pressure the political judgment of Cheong Wa Dae while preventing the situation from escalating into an inter-military confrontation.

Some also suggest Pyongyang is mindful of its relations with the United States.

[Yang Moo-jin / Chair Professor, University of North Korean Studies: It also carries an indirect message expressing hope that (this incident) will not escalate further on the path toward North Korea-U.S. dialogue.]

Kim Yo-jong also issued a threat that if violations of sovereignty continue, South Korea will face an "unprecedented situation." Some analysts suggest this signals the potential deployment of tactical nuclear warheads north of the Military Demarcation Line.

▶ Kim Yo-jong Breaks 9 Days of Silence: "Clear Fabricated Drama... Retaliation for Live-Fire"

(Video by Jeong Seong-hun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.