Kim Yo Jong has unequivocally conveyed that any act of provocation will be met with a reciprocal military response. This declaration is in response to assertions from the South Korean military regarding North Korea’s purported consecutive artillery rounds. The South Korean military alleges that these rounds were carried out close to the disputed maritime border. Conversely, the North Korean military asserts that these activities are part of a parallel exercise conducted along the border.
Kim Yo Jong has restated the position that the safety mechanism on the trigger of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) has been slipped. Therefore, any minor provocation by the opposing party will prompt an immediate military counteraction. While South Korea has also been engaged in military drills, it has expressed its intention to discontinue such activities. The ongoing artillery firings have raised concerns among the residents of South Korea, prompting them to seek shelter, although there have been no reported instances of shells breaching the maritime border.
Kim, in a statement, refutes the allegations of artillery shell firings on Saturday, attributing the events to the detonation of explosives as a deceptive maneuver. South Korea’s military dismisses Kim’s explanation as a form of low-level psychological warfare and urges North Korea to cease activities that escalate tension in the vicinity of the border.