North Korea announced it will resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at South Korea along the entire border, according to statements from Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim made the initial announcement Wednesday after inspecting border fortification sites with senior military officials. She stated that loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the Republic of Korea would be in operation along the whole border within October. In a follow-up statement Thursday, she said the loudspeakers would be placed on standby within days and that new countermeasures would go on alert.

The move comes amid heightened tensions over North Korea's ongoing efforts to fortify its southern border with mines, fences, and other barriers. Pyongyang has accused South Korean forces of disrupting the work through warning broadcasts and shots. South Korea has described its actions as legitimate defensive measures.

South Korea suspended its own anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2025 shortly after President Lee Jae-myung took office, with the goal of reducing military tensions. The speakers on the southern side were later dismantled. Both sides had used the broadcasts for years, with the North often playing unsettling sounds and the South featuring news and music.

Seoul's unification ministry responded Thursday by urging Pyongyang to halt actions that risk clashes along the Military Demarcation Line. The ministry warned against repeating past mistakes that caused suffering for residents on both sides of the border. Officials said any decision on resuming South Korean broadcasts in response would involve consultations among government agencies.

The announcements mark an escalation in inter-Korean tensions, reversing some of the de-escalation steps taken last year. North Korea has also cut off military hotlines and declared it no longer seeks dialogue or unification with the South.