North Korea plans border loudspeaker broadcasts by October end

North Korea plans to restart loudspeaker broadcasts along its border with South Korea by the end of October, Kim Yo Jong said, while warning that Pyongyang would retaliate if South Korean actions threatened its personnel during border fortification work. Kim, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, made the announcement after visiting frontline areas with Marshal Pak Jong Chon. She said North Korean firepower units had taken firing positions and that the loudspeakers would operate along the whole border. Her remarks describe a planned measure; they do not establish that broadcasts have begun. Kim warned that North Korean border forces would respond if South Korean warning shots caused harm to North Korean personnel. Pak also told troops to take military action if their safety was threatened, according to North Korean state media. The statements came amid competing accusations over military activity near the border. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has said North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line 50 times this year while carrying out fortification work. Seoul said it used warning shots and broadcasts to turn them back, describing those measures as...