Key facts
- Kim Yo Jong and Marshal Pak Jong-chon inspected border fortification work.
- Pyongyang warned of an "overwhelming" military response to provocations.
- North Korea has been reinforcing its border since April 2024.
- Land mine explosions in the DMZ injured three South Korean soldiers last month.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and military marshal Pak Jong-chon inspected fortification work along the inter-Korean border on Oct. 20, 2026. The inspection followed South Korea's vow to take decisive action against further provocations from the North. Pak reviewed the progress of the border fortification project, accusing the enemy of making "deliberate, premeditated and absurd" claims about border crossings. Kim Yo Jong stated that leader Kim Jong-un ordered the border to be made "eternally impregnable" and that new firepower units have taken their firing positions. North Korea has been reinforcing its border since April 2024, leading to incidents like land mine explosions in the DMZ that injured three South Korean soldiers last month. Kim Yo Jong had previously threatened to deploy additional tactical strike assets along the border.