North Korea has doubled down on accusations that South Korea fabricated a recent landmine blast that injured three soldiers.
Seoul demanded an apology for the explosion that occurred on September 21, in the western sector of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It said the mine was planted by North Korean troops and constituted a violation of the Korean War Armistice Agreement.
But in a letter sent to the UN Security Council on Sunday, the North Korean UN representative said Seoul was using the landmine incident to depict Pyongyang's border construction as a military incursion.
North Korea warned in the letter that violations of its sovereignty could trigger self-defence measures and that South Korea would be "wholly accountable for all the ensuing consequences."
It also repeated allegations that South Korea had opened fire on North Korean personnel, calling that a violation of the UN Charter, which bars the threat or use of force against another state's territorial integrity.
North Korean howitzer seen close to the border
The statement comes after a North Korean howitzer was spotted close to the border by a witness at an observatory in South Korea. It is reported that the weapon was a self-propelled 122-mm howitzer, capable of both low and high angle fire.
Witnesses also observed three North Korean armoured vehicles with their gun barrels “pointed south”, as well as about 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying out fencing work inside the DMZ.
"It is highly unusual [for North Korea] to expose its self-propelled artillery so conspicuously,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University in Seoul.
"By deliberately displaying it, North Korea is signalling through action, not words, that it intends to enforce its border policy through force rather than dialogue or negotiation."
Eul-chul added that North Korea ws warning the South to exercise caution about escalating border friction.
North Korea considered deploying more ‘tactical weapons’
On Tuesday 20 October, South Korea expressed concern over Pyongyang’s announcement that it is considering restarting loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, also told state-owned media that the country is mulling over the decision to deploy “additional tactical weapons” near the border. No specific details on what this would look like were given.
The ramped-up confrontation comes after North Korea accused the South of firing warning shots and issuing warning broadcasts numerous times at the border since August under “such an unreasonable pretext”.
Seoul’s Defence Ministry defended the broadcasts and warning shots near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), describing them as a “legitimate defensive measure” aimed at preventing incursions and forcing North Korean troops who cross the line.
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