Seoul expresses ‘grave concerns’ over North Korean plan to deploy border weapons

North Korea threatened to deploy more military assets along the DMZ, prompting South Korea to warn of firm retaliation amid rising border tensions. Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, speaks in Pyongyang in this undated photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA) North Korea’s threat to deploy offensive military assets along its southern border drew a rebuke Tuesday from South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. The South’s military has “grave concerns” about remarks made Monday by Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a ministry spokesman told reporters by text message. Kim Yo Jong holds high-level positions within the governing Workers’ Party and the government itself.

Pyongyang’s threats and “groundless claims” could further escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the spokesman said. Some South Korean government officials must speak to the media on condition of anonymity. After a pair of landmine explosions injured three South Korean soldiers on Sept. 21, the South’s military and United Nations Command found the North had deliberately planted at least four of the devices on the Demilitarized Zone’s southern side. The North’s military leadership is considering deploying additional “tactical strike means” along the DMZ as a preemptive and suppressive measure to deal with any contingencies, according to a statement attributed to Kim and published