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Why is North Korea fortifying its border with South Korea?

30 October 2026 at 03:02

A row over a landmine blast and a threat to resume loudspeaker broadcasts has highlighted Kim Jong-un’s military ambitions

Last week North Korea hit the headlines with a vow to fire up its loudspeaker systems to blare propaganda into the South, but the latest dispute comes against a backdrop of militarisation of the border by Kim Jong-un that has been years in the making.

Since April 2024, North Korea has been working on building a permanent fortified border through the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that divides the two sides, work that has led to a mine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers and plunged ties to new lows.

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Β© Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Β© Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Β© Photograph: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Outcry after Call of Duty maker uses real footage of deadly Seoul crowd crush in new video game

Bereaved families have urged the publisher of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to remove a clip from the game that shows a figure performing CPR and bodies lying in the street

Bereaved families in South Korea have demanded that the makers of Call of Duty remove harrowing footage of the deadly 2022 Seoul crowd crush from the latest instalment of the video game.

The clips, which are seconds-long, appear in the opening moments of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and are used to represent a scenario of civilian casualties during a fictional North Korean invasion.

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Β© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Β© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Β© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Outcry after Call of Duty maker uses real footage of deadly Seoul crowd crush in new video game

29 October 2026 at 07:41

Bereaved families have urged the publisher of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 to remove a clip from the game that shows a figure performing CPR and bodies lying in the street

Bereaved families in South Korea have demanded that the makers of Call of Duty remove harrowing footage of the deadly 2022 Seoul crowd crush from the latest instalment of the video game.

The clips, which are seconds-long, appear in the opening moments of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and are used to represent a scenario of civilian casualties during a fictional North Korean invasion.

Continue reading...

Β© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Β© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Β© Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

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