Kim made the remarks after the South Korean military said North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells from the west coast toward Yeonpyeong Island. Additionally, 60 bullets were fired near the disputed sea border on Saturday, and gunfire was reported on Sunday.
“I would like to clarify once again that the trigger safety of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) had already been blown,” Kim Yo Jong said, according to a KCNA statement.
“As already announced, the KPA will launch an immediate military attack if the enemy makes even the slightest provocation,” he added.
South Korea held fire drills on Friday in response to artillery fire, Yonhap news agency reported. After Saturday’s events, however, they have no intention of doing so again.
During Friday’s drills, residents of South Korea’s border islands were warned to take shelter in air raid shelters, although there were no reports of shells crossing the maritime border between the countries.
In a statement, Kim denied Saturday’s fire and said North Korea detonated the explosives as a hoax. South Korea’s military rejected Kim’s statement as low-level psychological warfare, calling on North Korea to halt military activities that have stoked tensions near the border.
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2024-01-07 09:56:17
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