South Korea's defence ministry has urged North Korea to hold urgent discussions to ease frontier tension and prevent accidental military clashes, shortly after Pyongyang severed a cross-border military hotline and declared it will no longer seek dialogue or unification with its "foe".
Tensions escalated after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, warned that the regime will place anti-South Korea loudspeakers on standby along the entire border within days and put new countermeasures on alert.
Kim cautioned Seoul of "the most horrible and distressing situation" if it persists with what Pyongyang describes as interference.
The threat to redeploy propaganda loudspeakers—announced in Kim's second statement within hours—risks unravelling South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's signature gains in easing inter-Korean friction, pushing frontier tensions to their highest level since he took office.
In a statement carried by state news agency KCNA, Kim said she was responding to a special adviser to Lee on defence policy, who accused North Korea of planting mines that wounded South Korean soldiers and warned it against escalating tensions with broadcasts.
"Our new counter means will get into the alert for duty at all the southern border line, and the loudspeakers against the ROK will be on standby in a matter of days," Kim said, adding that North Korea will continue fortifying its frontier.
On Wednesday, Kim said the loudspeakers would be activated across the border by late October following her visits to fortification sites with military commanders.
