Kim Yo Jong says North Korea's border loudspeakers will be ready within days
The North Korean leader's sister says anti-South loudspeakers and new 'counter means' will be on standby along the whole border, raising tension after weeks of warning shots and a mine blast in the DMZ.
At a glance
- Kim Yo Jong said on Thursday that North Korea's propaganda loudspeakers aimed at South Korea will be on standby along the entire border 'in a matter of days'.
- She said new firepower units had taken up firing positions and warned of 'the most horrible and distressing situation' if Seoul makes a mistake.
- The warning follows her inspection of border fortification work with Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said no new weapons had been spotted on the border and that troops are watching closely.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Thursday, 22 October 2026, that propaganda loudspeakers aimed at South Korea will be on standby along the entire inter-Korean border "in a matter of days". In a statement carried by North Korean state media, she also said new "counter means" had been put on alert and warned Seoul of severe consequences if it made a mistake on the border.
What Kim Yo Jong said
The statement came a day after she toured fortification sites on the border with senior military officers, and it went further than her earlier warning that the loudspeakers would be switched on before the end of October.
| Point | What the statement said |
|---|---|
| Loudspeakers | On standby along the whole border "in a matter of days" |
| New weapons | New "firepower" units have taken firing positions; tactical strike means could be deployed to the border |
| Fortification | Work on the border will continue; once finished, the risk of clashes will "considerably" fall |
| Warning | Seoul faces "the most horrible and distressing situation" if it errs, intentionally or not |
| Separate statement | Told South Korean presidential defence adviser Kim Byung-joo to stop speaking "incoherently" |
She was accompanied on the inspection by Pak Jong Chon, vice-chairman of the ruling party's Central Military Commission. North Korean state media first gave the wrong date for the visit and later corrected it, saying it took place at dawn on 21 October.
Background
North Korea has been building what it calls a permanent border since April 2024, laying mines, putting up barbed-wire fences and building anti-tank barriers along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that runs through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The work followed Kim Jong Un's declaration at the end of 2023 that the two Koreas are "two states hostile to each other", ending decades of official talk of reunification.
During the construction, North Korean soldiers have repeatedly moved close to or across the MDL. South Korean troops have answered with warning broadcasts and warning shots to make them go back. Pyongyang calls this interference; Seoul says the shots were legitimate and defensive.
On 21 September, a mine exploded in the DMZ and injured three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously. The South Korean military and the US-led United Nations Command concluded that North Korean anti-personnel mines caused the blast, in breach of the 1953 Armistice Agreement. North Korea denies responsibility.
Loudspeaker broadcasts have a long history as a tool of pressure across the border. Both sides have switched them on and off in past rounds of tension, and their return is seen as a sign that relations are getting worse.
Reactions in Seoul
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said no new weapons or systems had been spotted along the border and that the military is watching closely. A spokesperson said North Korean troops had been doing routine maintenance on front-line loudspeakers even before Kim's latest statements.
The defence ministry called on Pyongyang to stop "groundless claims and incursions across the MDL" and to respond to efforts to narrow differences. It has said it will take proportionate measures if the North acts on its threats, though no decision has been made. The JCS chairman, Gen. Jin Yong-sung, ordered troops to respond sternly to any provocation.
Why it matters
The Korean Peninsula is one of the world's most heavily armed borders, and small incidents there can escalate quickly. Loudspeakers, warning shots and new artillery positions all raise the risk of a misunderstanding. Any serious clash would rattle markets in South Korea, Japan and China — key trade partners for South and South-East Asia — at a time when the global economy is already strained by conflict in the Middle East and high oil prices.
What happens next
Kim Yo Jong has set the end of October as the deadline for the loudspeakers to go live. South Korea's military says it will keep monitoring the border and respond to any action. Watch for whether Seoul answers with broadcasts of its own, and for any further statements from Pyongyang in the coming days.
Questions people are asking
What did Kim Yo Jong say about loudspeakers?
In a statement carried by North Korean state media on 22 October 2026, Kim Yo Jong said loudspeakers aimed at South Korea would be on standby along the whole border within days, alongside unspecified new countermeasures.
Why are tensions rising on the Korean border?
North Korea has been fortifying its side of the border with mines, fences and barriers since 2024. Its troops have repeatedly crossed the demarcation line during the work, drawing South Korean warning broadcasts and warning shots, and a mine blast injured three South Korean soldiers on 21 September.
How has South Korea responded?
South Korea's military said it had seen no new weapons on the border and would monitor the situation closely, while the defence ministry told Pyongyang to stop 'groundless claims' and incursions across the Military Demarcation Line.
