South Korea's Ministry of National Defense stated today (October 20) that it will "resolutely punish any further provocations carried out under the pretext of our legitimate measures," responding to a North Korean statement that criticized the South Korean military's warning shots fired over North Korean troops crossing the Military Demarcation Line and mentioned the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South.

In a statement released to the media regarding the statement by Kim Yo-jong, a department director of the Workers' Party of Korea, the defense ministry said, "We express grave concern over the North criticizing our military's legitimate execution of operations in accordance with the Armistice Agreement and escalating tensions through military threats."

The defense ministry pointed out that Kim's statement "defined our military's measures as actions escalating the situation and shifted the blame for creating tensions onto our side," countering that "the warning broadcasts and warning shots conducted by our military in the area of the Military Demarcation Line are legitimate defensive measures to prevent North Korean troops from violating the Military Demarcation Line and to repel intruding forces."

The ministry went on to urge the North to "halt its far-fetched claims and violations of the Military Demarcation Line, and respond to efforts to resolve differences in mutual perception regarding the Military Demarcation Line."
 
(Photo courtesy of National Assembly Press Corps, Yonhap News)