North Korea Orders Border Troops to Take ‘Resolute Action’ if South Threatens Them

North Korea has ordered its border troops to take “prompt and resolute action” if South Korean forces threaten their safety, raising concerns about a possible military confrontation along the heavily fortified border between the two countries.

The directive was reported by North Korean state media on Wednesday, October 21, following an inspection of border fortifications by senior North Korean military officials.

Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon, accompanied by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, visited the border area on Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Pak told troops to respond forcefully to perceived threats from enemy forces, while Kim Yo Jong said new firepower units had taken up firing positions along the frontier.

The latest warning comes amid escalating tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul over military activities along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily guarded buffer separating the two countries.

South Korea has accused the North of laying landmines that injured three South Korean soldiers in an explosion inside the DMZ on September 21. Seoul and the United Nations Command concluded that a North Korean mine caused the incident, which they described as a violation of the Korean War armistice agreement.

North Korea has denied responsibility for the explosion and accused South Korea of provoking tensions through warning shots and loudspeaker broadcasts near the border.

On Monday, Kim Yo Jong threatened that Pyongyang could resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts directed at South Korea and deploy additional tactical strike weapons near the frontier.

South Korea responded on Tuesday by warning that it would take decisive action against any further North Korean provocations. Its Defence Ministry defended the use of warning shots and broadcasts as legitimate defensive measures intended to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the Military Demarcation Line.

Seoul also urged Pyongyang to stop what it described as repeated border incursions and engage in efforts to resolve the dispute.

The two countries have intensified military activities along the border since North Korea began expanding fortifications in April 2024. South Korean officials have reported repeated crossings of the Military Demarcation Line by North Korean personnel during construction and other activities.

The latest exchange of warnings has heightened concerns that a misunderstanding or miscalculation could trigger a confrontation between forces operating in close proximity along the heavily militarised frontier.

The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war because the 1950–1953 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Despite periodic diplomatic efforts, relations between the two countries remain strained by military disputes, weapons developments and competing security claims.

There was no immediate indication that fighting had broken out following the latest North Korean directive.