The South Korean military warned on Tuesday that it would respond firmly and impose severe punishment for any further provocations by North Korea, saying it was “unacceptable” for Pyongyang to hold Seoul responsible for the escalation of tensions.
North Korea has denied accusations that it was behind an explosion last month that injured three South Korean soldiers inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which has separated the two countries since the 1953 armistice and is heavily mined. Pyongyang also mocked calls for an apology.
On Monday, Pyongyang described the situation along the shared border as “serious,” noting that it was considering deploying additional “tactical strike assets” in the area. It also condemned what it described as approximately 1,000 provocative loudspeaker broadcasts, as well as warning shots fired by South Korean forces between October 1 and 17.
Seoul responded on Tuesday that loudspeaker broadcasts and warning shots constituted “legitimate defensive measures” intended to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the Military Demarcation Line and to force those who cross it to retreat. It did not specify how many times these measures had been used.
South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Yong-sung accused Pyongyang of “baselessly holding the South Korean military responsible for escalating military tensions,” stressing that it was “unacceptable” to describe legitimate operational measures as provocations.
Jin ordered the military to respond firmly if North Korea used these measures as a pretext for hostile action, while the Defense Ministry warned that any such move would be met with severe punishment.
Tensions between the two Koreas have escalated in recent years following a series of border incidents. In 2024, North Korea sent thousands of balloons carrying waste into the South, saying it was retaliating against anti-Pyongyang balloons launched by South Korean activists.
Seoul subsequently resumed loudspeaker broadcasts along the border for the first time in six years, featuring K-pop music and international news. The North responded by broadcasting strange and frightening sounds across the border, alarming residents in the South.
Hong Sung-pyo, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that North Korea’s main concern was not warning shots intended to force its troops to retreat, but rather loudspeaker broadcasts and the distribution of anti-regime leaflets.
He added that Pyongyang was highly sensitive to these measures because they could expose information the regime seeks to conceal about the realities of life in the two Koreas.
Seoul accused Pyongyang of committing a “clear violation of the armistice agreement” over the explosion that injured the soldiers inside the DMZ and called on it to return to dialogue. Pyongyang, however, mocked South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s initiative, with Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, describing it as “the height of farce.”
Last month, South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said the military had “a range of necessary measures available and would implement them in stages” in response to the landmine explosion, without disclosing further details.
Separately, North Korea recently tested a range of weapons, including a new precision-guided torpedo system and a medium-range hypersonic missile. Pyongyang said both systems rely on artificial intelligence technology.
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Author: Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi.
Publication Date: October 20, 2026.
Updated: October 2026.
