South Korea has urged North Korea to stop actions that could violate the armistice and raise the risk of armed clashes after Pyongyang said it would restart propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the inter-Korean border later this month.
The warning followed statements by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who said loudspeakers would be placed into operation along the entire border. She made the announcement after inspecting border fortification work with Pak Jong-chon, a senior North Korean military official. Kim described the construction as part of an effort to make the border permanently secure and warned that North Korean units would retaliate if South Korean fire harmed troops involved in the project.
Seoul says North Korean soldiers have repeatedly crossed the Military Demarcation Line while installing mines, barbed-wire fencing and anti-tank barriers. South Korean forces have responded with warning broadcasts and warning shots, which the government describes as defensive measures intended to prevent unauthorized crossings. North Korea disputes that account and says its troops have remained on its own territory. South Korean authorities say Pyongyang may be applying its own interpretation of the demarcation line.
North Korea has denied responsibility and rejected Seoul’s findings.
Seoul has proposed military talks, but Pyongyang has not responded. The two Koreas had operated hostile loudspeakers until South Korea halted its broadcasts in June 2025, ending a campaign that officials said had imposed severe strain on residents near the border.