North Korea tells border troops to take 'resolute action' if South threatens their safety

Tensions between North and South Korea have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its border in April 2024.

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

SEOUL: North Korea has told its border troops to take "prompt and resolute action" if South Korean forces threaten their safety, state media said on Wednesday (Oct 21), raising the risk of a clash along the heavily armed frontier.

The report came a day after Seoul vowed to punish "resolutely" any further provocation by Pyongyang if North Korea acts on threats to strengthen its military posture along the border.

North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected fortifications on the border with South Korea on Tuesday, accompanied by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, KCNA reported.

Kim Yo Jong said new firepower units had "taken their firing positions" at the border, KCNA reported.

Tensions between North and South Korea have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its border in April 2024. The two countries are separated by the Demilitarized Zone that was established when the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953.

Newsletter

Week in Review

Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review

Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.

Newsletter

Morning Brief

Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief

An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here