North Korea plans new firepower positions and border loudspeaker broadcasts during October as Seoul vows a firm response to further provocations

North Korea said Wednesday that it plans to move new firepower units into firing positions and resume loudspeaker broadcasts across the border with South Korea. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said tactical hunting teams were taking new positions and that loudspeakers for psychological warfare against South Korea would operate along the entire border within October.

The plans were announced after Kim and Marshal Pak Jong Chon of the armed forces inspected the border. Pak instructed troops to organize firepower capable of striking “terror into the enemy’s heart” and said border forces must take overwhelming military action if enemy troops threaten the safety of their personnel.

Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang have risen since South Korea blamed an explosion inside the Demilitarised Zone last month on North Korean landmines. Pyongyang rejected the accusation.

Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told AFP the reported troop movements should be taken seriously as a significant development in operational deployment. On Tuesday, South Korea’s military accused Pyongyang of trying to shift blame for escalating tensions, described loudspeakers and warning shots as legitimate defensive measures, and vowed a firm response to further provocations.