Gen. Jin Yong-seung, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a statement by Kim Yo-jong, director of the general affairs department of North Korea's Workers' Party, had "shifted the blame for rising military tensions in a brazen reversal," and ordered troops to "respond firmly if the enemy carries out further provocations using our military's legitimate measures as a pretext."
Jin made the remarks on the 20th during a visit to the headquarters of the 5th Corps, the front-line unit responsible for the central sector, calling Kim's statement from the previous day "unacceptable." He again stressed that "inflicting serious injuries on our soldiers who were carrying out normal operations is a clear act of provocation and a violation of the Armistice Agreement."
Jin also ordered the implementation of operations to strengthen control of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The Joint Chiefs of Staff told a recent parliamentary audit of government agencies that it would bolster its ability to secure operational initiative in the DMZ, including by minimizing surveillance blind spots, to deter further North Korean provocations.
In her statement the previous evening, Kim said the North was "considering reinforcing the deployment of tactical strike assets near the southern border and resuming loudspeaker broadcasts toward South Korea." Through a series of statements since a landmine explosion in the DMZ last month, she has denied North Korean responsibility and instead blamed the South.
The Ministry of National Defense also issued a separate statement, saying Kim had "criticized our military's legitimate operations under the Armistice Agreement and heightened tensions with military threats," and that it was expressing "grave concern." It added, referring to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), that "the warning broadcasts and warning shots our military conducts along the MDL are legitimate defensive measures to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the MDL and to expel those who have crossed."
The Ministry of Unification, by contrast, placed more emphasis on resuming inter-Korean communication. The ministry said that "to fundamentally resolve tensions and clashes, the two Koreas must align their positions on the MDL and establish a communication system for peaceful management as soon as possible." It also urged "the North to actively respond to efforts to prevent an unnecessary worsening of the situation and to resolve the issue effectively."