Marshal Pak Jong Chon, Advisor to the Ministry of National Defence of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, made an on-site inspection of the major points of the southern border fortification project on October 21.

He was accompanied by Comrade Ri Il Hwan, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea; Comrade Kim Yo Jong, Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea; and principal commanders of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.

Marshal Pak Jong Chon learned about the actual state of the barrier construction for the permanent fortification of the border, and warmly encouraged the service personnel who, undeterred by every obstruction and threat of the enemies, are devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the historic struggle to strengthen the country's boundary line.

In connection with the grave provocative acts of the enemies seeking to obstruct our exercise of sovereignty within the sovereign territory of the Republic, Marshal Pak Jong Chon expressed the following important stand.

“At present those hooligan bands before our eyes are trying to use as a pretext for provocation the barrier construction our army is carrying out as part of its normal border-strengthening work. What they allege to be a ‘crossing of the line’ by our service personnel is a deliberate and premeditated far-fetched claim aimed at shifting onto us the responsibility for aggravating the situation in pursuit of an impure purpose. Our army knows better than anyone where our state's boundary line runs, and we are doing our own duty on our own land.

Service personnel! You must turn our boundary line into a firm fortress—proudly and with dignity.

When the enemy, following its warning broadcasts and warning shots, goes on to commit provocations that actually threaten the safety of our service personnel, you must never tolerate them and must counterattack immediately. The time for sitting down to verbal sparring is over.

The border armed forces of Korea must respond to the vicious antics of the enemy with highly skilled, professional and overwhelming military action.”

Marshal Pak Jong Chon said that proactive measures to thoroughly guarantee the safety of the lives of our service personnel are more important than anything else, and stressed that the time has come for a firepower organization such as the enemies cannot but fear.

Director Kim Yo Jong made the following remarks.

“Our military leadership stressed that those hooligan bands must be made to know that our new firepower sub-units have taken up firing positions.

The head of state gave orders that there must be not a single inch of concession in the exercise of territorial sovereignty, and that the boundary line with the hostile state must be made the most permanent of lines.

This is a ‘great undertaking’ and a ‘great cause’ that puts an end to a history that has been written wrong for far too long.

Our army must thoroughly carry out the order of the head of state to execute this historic mission.

The historic process of the permanent fortification of the southern border of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea can never be reversed.”

Statement Issued by Kim Yo Jong, Department Director of the WPK Central Committee

Kim Yo Jong, Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the following statement on the 21st.

Today I went to the border together with Marshal Pak Jong Chon.

The Korean Central News Agency, in releasing its news report, got the date wrong.

It was not the previous day but today, the early hours of the 21st, that I visited several places along the border.

The border is clearly blocked off and is becoming more and more fortified.

This serves as clear evidence that a history we have written wrong for far too long is being set right, and that the security of the today and tomorrow of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is being guaranteed in qualitative terms.

The head of state stressed that facing a border with the shabbiest and most vicious enemy in the world is a dreadful tragedy, and that therefore that boundary line must become a permanent line that can never be crossed.

Our army is accomplishing a weighty great cause even amid the persistent threats of the enemy.

Soon a peaceful and great history will begin.

Once the border is made permanent, the danger of military clash in this area will undoubtedly be removed.

Today as well, the armed gangsters carried on their provocations at no fewer than two places, conducting loudspeaker warning broadcasts and firing warning shots.

Our tactical hunting squads are taking up new positions, and within October the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the ROK will be brought into operation along the entire boundary line.

This is the most just measure and an appropriate response.

Suppose we were to fire warning shots back at the enemy in a case such as today's.

The situation on the border would worsen beyond imagination.

We are exercising a high degree of restraint and are thoroughly prepared for any contingency.

Should the enemy's warning-shot provocations go beyond a warning and produce results that do harm to the actual security of our territory and the safety of our service personnel, our border guards will deal mercilessly with the armed gangsters who have lost their reason.