SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) -Kim Yo Jong, head of the Workers’ Party’s general affairs department and sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned Wednesday of retaliation should Seoul take military action over a DMZ mine explosion she dismissed as a “staged act.”
In a swift response to the South Korean military’s preliminary findings on Tuesday pointing to a North Korean mine as the likely cause of the blast, Kim accused Seoul of fabricating evidence to justify political and military provocations against Pyongyang.
Her statement, dated Tuesday, was carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday.
South Korea's defense minister Kang Shin-chul on Tuesday said that North Korean mines found south of the inter-Korean border appeared to have been planted rather than washed into the area, vowing corresponding measures against Pyongyang.
He told a National Assembly defense committee meeting that investigators had found an intact North Korean resin-bodied antipersonnel mine near the site of last week's explosions in the Demilitarized Zone.
Asked whether the mines could have been displaced by flooding or other natural causes, Kang said that possibility appeared unlikely.
"It does not appear to have been washed away," Kang said, adding that the military believes the mine was placed as North Korea fortified areas around the Military Demarcation Line.
Kim rejected the findings, calling the incident “a blatant staged act” reminiscent of the 2015 wooden-box landmine explosions that seriously wounded two South Korean soldiers in the DMZ.
She accused the South Korean military of “fabricating groundless results” and creating a pretext for further confrontation by openly discussing “appropriate and corresponding measures.”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday released additional photographs of a North Korean plastic antipersonnel mine found during the ongoing field investigation.
Kim separately denied that North Korean troops working on border fortifications had crossed the Military Demarcation Line, insisting that the construction was “purely an exercise of sovereignty completely unrelated to military purposes.”
She claimed South Korean troops had issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots almost daily since August, threatening the safety of North Korean personnel.
“Our soldiers have never once crossed the border line,” she said, accusing Seoul of seeking to shift responsibility for escalating tensions onto Pyongyang.
Kim warned that South Korea would have to be prepared for the consequences “if even a single bullet lands on our territory.”
If South Korean troops directed “actual live fire, rather than warning shots” at North Korean soldiers, she said, border units would deliver “immediate and merciless retaliation.”
Instructions for such a response had already been issued to border defense units, she added.
Kim also said the North had decided to reinforce tactical counterattack assets facing the DMZ sector held by South Korea’s 21st Infantry Division under the 3rd Corps, where she alleged provocations had become frequent.
“The dramatic climax of Seoul’s self-directed clown show will by no means be amusing,” she said, warning that those who planned the alleged provocation would bear responsibility for all consequences.
The statement was not carried by North Korea’s main domestic outlets, including the Rodong Sinmun newspaper and Korean Central Broadcasting Station.
AJP Takeaways:
- North Korea denies responsibility for DMZ blast: Kim Yo Jong rejected South Korea’s preliminary finding that a North Korean mine likely caused the Sept. 21 explosion, calling the incident a “staged act.”
- Pyongyang threatens military retaliation: Kim warned of an immediate response if South Korean troops fired directly at North Korean soldiers and said retaliation instructions had already been issued to border units.
- North plans to reinforce border firepower: Kim announced plans to strengthen tactical counterattack assets opposite South Korea’s 21st Infantry Division as Seoul weighs measures pending its final investigation findings.
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