North Korea loudspeaker restart would be 'worst move,' lawmaker says

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Byung-joo said Thursday that North Korea's threatened resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South would be "the worst move it could make," adding that South Korea has many tools to respond with far more damaging psychological warfare.

Kim, who serves as the presidential special adviser on defense policy, made the remarks in back-to-back appearances on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show."

Kim also weighed in on Pyongyang's reaction to South Korean troops firing warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL, noting that the North had said "new countermeasures" were on standby. "In the past, they would have used rhetoric like 'we will deal a massive retaliatory blow if provoked,'" he said. "It seems North Korea is also showing some restraint."

Earlier, KCNA reported that Pak Jong-chon, adviser to the Ministry of National Defense, and Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Korean Workers' Party Central Committee, inspected border fortification construction sites on Tuesday. Kim Yo-jong had said Monday that Pyongyang would "review resuming loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South," and during the inspection she said the military leadership must "make those gangsters aware that our new firepower units have taken up firing positions."

Regarding the broader situation, Kim said it was "extremely important" to neutralize North Korea's efforts to fortify its entire border line. "On one hand, we must respond firmly on the military front, and on the other, we must make efforts to open a path toward peace and dialogue," he said.

On Wednesday, Kim had posted on Facebook criticizing Kim Yo-jong — whom he identified as director of the Korean Workers' Party's General Affairs Department — over the loudspeaker threat, calling her remarks "shameless and brazen" and demanding an apology for provocations against the South.

In Thursday's broadcasts, Kim elaborated on that characterization, saying the North's reaction amounted to "a blame-shifting response trying to pin responsibility for the landmine accident south of the MDL on us," and that Pyongyang was "making all sorts of absurd responses."