[Anchor]

North Korea has 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 the military leadership in inspecting the construction site for the "fortification of the southern border." Kim Yo-jong warned that propaganda loudspeakers targeting South Korea will be put into operation within October.

Defense correspondent Kim Taehun reports.

[Reporter]

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported yesterday that Marshal Pak Jong-chon, an advisor to the Ministry of National Defence, conducted an on-site inspection of key locations at the construction site for the "fortification of the southern border" two days ago on October 20.

The news agency reported that Pak was accompanied on the inspection not only by North Korea's Workers' Party leadership, 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 Jong-chon made clear his intent to immediately counter any future responses from the South Korean military, stating, "When the enemy carries out provocations that threaten the safety of our soldiers following warning broadcasts and warning shots, we must launch an immediate counterattack."

Department Director Kim Yo-jong also made specific threats against the South, stating, "We must make the mob of hooligans realize that our new 'firepower subunits' have taken up firing positions."

However, Kim Yo-jong soon issued a follow-up statement claiming that KCNA had misstated the date, clarifying that she and Pak had visited the border not two days ago, but at dawn yesterday.

A key South Korean military official told SBS, "The delegation including Pak Jong-chon and Kim Yo-jong appeared yesterday morning at the fortification construction site on the western front, not far from the Joint Security Area (JSA)."

The official added, "Their inspection was clearly captured by our military's detection assets."

Two days ago, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Jin Young-seung visited the headquarters of the 5th Corps overseeing the central front to inspect military readiness, and North Korea's actions appear to have been taken with this in mind.

In her additional statement, Kim Yo-jong warned, "Loudspeakers for psychological warfare against South Korea will be put into operation along the entire border within October."

(Video by Lee Seung-jin | Graphics by Byun Dayoung)