South Korean Army Classifies North Threats as Unacceptable

O south Korean army today declared that it is unacceptable for Pyongyang to accuse Seoul of being responsible for escalating military tensions on the peninsula, and warned that it will respond firmly to any further provocation.

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, classified the situation on the South Korean border as serious on Monday, warning that Pyongyang plans to mobilise more “tactical attack” means in the region.

Kim Yo-jong also stated that the South Korean army transmitted 998 provocative messages through speakers and carried out 91 warning shots near the border between October 1 and 17.

Seoul today classified North Korea’s claims as unacceptable and accused Pyongyang of “assigning unfounded responsibility for escalating military tensions” to the South Korean armed forces.

“ It is unacceptable for North Korea to have classified yesterday [Monday] our legitimate operational measures as a ‘provocation’,” South Korea’s Chief of Staff, Jin Yong-sung, quoted in a note.

The statement adds that Jin ordered the army to “reign with firm determination” if North Korea carries out further provocations.

Tensions between the two Koreas have recently increased, with the North, which has nuclear weapons, intensifying weapons testing in recent days, including that of a torpedo system of a “new type” that claims to use artificial intelligence to detect and track targets.

North Korea rejected the accusations that it would be responsible for the explosion of mines that wounded three soldiers in September within the Demilitarized Zone, a heavily mined buffer area that separates the two Koreas since the armistice of 1953.

A joint investigation by South Korea and the United Nations Command concluded earlier this month that the explosion was caused by North Korean mines in the region.