NK leader's sister, military marshal inspect border fortification site, warn of 'overwhelming' responses

Kim Yo-jong and military marshal Pak Jong-chon inspected North Korea’s border fortification work along the inter-Korean border, with Pyongyang warning of an “overwhelming” response to what it called enemy provocations. The inspection followed South Korea’s warning that it would take decisive action if the North staged further provocations. Kim said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had ordered the border to be made “eternally impregnable,” while Pak urged troops to turn it into an “impregnable fortress.”

Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, inspected key positions along the southern border the day before the report.

North Korea has reinforced the border since April 2024 by laying land mines, installing barbed-wire fences and erecting anti-tank barriers along the Military Demarcation Line.

The fortification work has brought North Korean troops close to or across the Military Demarcation Line, prompting South Korean forces to issue warning broadcasts and fire warning shots.

Land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone last month injured three South Korean soldiers, two seriously; South Korea and the U.N. Command attributed the incident to North Korean mines, while Pyongyang denied involvement.

Published Oct 21, 2026 4:16 pm KST

Updated Oct 21, 2026 6:06 pm KST

North Korean military and party officials, including leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong, inspect a border fortification site in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. Yonhap

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and a military marshal have inspected fortification work along the inter-Korean border, with Pyongyang warning of an "overwhelming" military response to what it called enemy provocations, state media reported Wednesday.

The inspection came after the South Korean military vowed Tuesday to take "decisive" action if the North stages further provocations, following Pyongyang's threat to deploy strike means along the border.

Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to the North's Ministry of National Defense, inspected key positions along the southern border the previous day to review progress on a project to fortify the border, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

During the inspection, Pak accused the enemy of making "deliberate, premeditated and absurd" claims that North Korean troops had crossed the border.

"Our army knows where our borderline is better than any others, and we are doing what we should do in our territory," he was quoted as saying.

Pak urged troops to "turn the borderline into an impregnable fortress," calling for "very proficient, specialized and overwhelming military action in response to the reckless moves of the hideous enemy."

Kim Yo-jong, a department director at the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said the North's leader issued "an order to fortify the border with an enemy state to be eternally impregnable," stressing nothing could stop the fortification effort, according to the KCNA.

"Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions," she said.

North Korea has been reinforcing its border with South Korea since April 2024, laying land mines, installing barbed-wire fences and erecting anti-tank barriers along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), after leader Kim declared the two Koreas to be "two states hostile to each other" the previous year.

The fortification work has repeatedly brought North Korean troops close to or across the MDL, prompting South Korean forces to issue warning broadcasts and fire warning shots to make them withdraw.

Last month, land mine explosions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) injured three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously. South Korea and the U.N. Command have attributed the incident to mines planted by North Korea, which has denied involvement.

On Monday, Kim Yo-jong threatened to deploy additional tactical strike assets along the inter-Korean border and to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward South Korea, accusing Seoul of escalating tensions with warning shots at its troops.

In response, the South Korean military warned of stern measures against any further provocations.

朝鲜总理金与正和军事元帅朴正川视察了朝韩边境的防御工事建设。平壤方面警告称，将对所谓的敌方挑衅行为做出“压倒性”回应。此前，韩国曾警告，如果朝鲜进一步挑衅，韩国将采取果断行动。金与正表示，朝鲜领导人金正恩已下令将边境“永远坚不可摧”，而朴正川则敦促部队将其打造成“固若金汤的堡垒”。

报告发布前一天，朝鲜国防部顾问朴正川视察了南部边境的关键地点。

自 2024 年 4 月以来，朝鲜通过沿军事分界线埋设地雷、安装铁丝网和设置反坦克障碍来加强边境防御。

朝鲜军队的防御工事已推进至军事分界线附近或越过该线，促使韩国军队发出警告广播并鸣枪示警。

上个月，非军事区发生地雷爆炸，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重；韩国和联合国军司令部将此次事件归咎于朝鲜地雷，而平壤否认参与其中。

发布于2026年10月21日下午4:16（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月21日 下午6:06（韩国标准时间）

朝鲜中央通讯社周二发布的照片​​显示，包括朝鲜最高领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正在内的朝鲜军方和党政官员正在视察边境防御工事。（韩联社）

据朝鲜官方媒体周三报道，朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹金与正和一名军事元帅视察了朝韩边境的防御工事建设，平壤方面警告称，将对所谓的敌方挑衅行为做出“压倒性”的军事回应。

此前，朝鲜威胁要在边境部署打击力量，韩国军方周二誓言，如果朝鲜进一步挑衅，将采取“果断”行动。随后进行了此次检查。

据朝中社报道，朝鲜国防部顾问朴正天前一天视察了南部边境的关键地点，以审查边境加固项目的进展情况。

在视察期间，朴某指责敌方“蓄意、预谋、荒谬地”声称朝鲜军队越过边境。

据报道，他表示：“我们的军队比任何其他军队都更清楚我们的边界在哪里，我们正在我们的领土上做我们应该做的事情。”

巴基斯坦敦促部队“将边境线变成一座坚不可摧的堡垒”，并呼吁“采取非常熟练、专业和压倒性的军事行动，以回应可憎敌人的鲁莽行径”。

据朝中社报道，朝鲜劳动党中央委员会部门主管金与正表示，朝鲜领导人下令“将与敌国的边界永远牢不可破”，并强调没有任何事情可以阻止这一防御工事的建设。

“我们的军方领导强调，必须让那些不法分子意识到，我们的新型火力部队已经占据了射击位置，”她说。

自 2024 年 4 月以来，朝鲜一直在加强与韩国的边界，在军事分界线 (MDL) 沿线埋设地雷、安装铁丝网和设置反坦克障碍。此前一年，朝鲜领导人金正恩宣布朝韩是“两个敌对国家”。

朝鲜军队的防御工事建设屡次将他们带到军事分界线附近或越过该分界线，迫使韩国军队发出警告广播并鸣枪示警，迫使他们撤退。

上个月，非军事区发生地雷爆炸，造成三名韩国士兵受伤，其中两人伤势严重。韩国和联合国军司令部均将此次事件归咎于朝鲜埋设的地雷，但朝鲜否认参与其中。

周一，金与正威胁要在朝韩边境部署更多战术打击力量，并恢复向韩国进行宣传广播，指责首尔向其军队鸣枪示警，加剧了紧张局势。

对此，韩国军方警告称，将对任何进一步的挑衅行为采取严厉措施。