Kim Jong Un’s sister claims S Korea 'misjudged' sound of explosives as artillery fire

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has denied claims made by South Korea thatPyongyang fired dozens of artillery rounds near their border on Saturday (Jan 6).

Seoul's military had claimed that North Korea fired over60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island which landed in a buffer zone, set up under an inter-Korean military accord signed on Sept19, 2018, to reduce border tensions.

"Our military did not fire a single shell into the water area,"Kim Yo Jong was quoted as saying by state news agency KCNA.

She added that the military had instead detonated explosives that simulated the sound of gunfire 60 times and "watched the reaction" of the South Korean forces who mistook them for missiles.

"The result was exactly as we expected. They misjudged the sound of explosives as gunfire, assumed it was an artillery fire provocation, and shamelessly made up a lie," she added.

"In the future, they will misjudge even the rumbling sound of thunder in the northern sky as artillery fire from our military," she said.

Watch |Tensions in Korean Peninsula: North Korea conducts artillery drills near South Korean islands

South Korea warns civilians

Notably, South Korea on Friday told civilians on Yeonpyeong Island, located about 115 km east of Seoul in terms of aerial distance,to evacuate after North Korea fired around 200 artillery shells off its west coast.

"About 200 shots were fired by North Korea (near) Yeonpyeong Island," a defence ministry official said at a briefing.

Hours later, South Korean defence ministry described it as a"provocative act" and urged North to stop, warning Seoul would take "appropriate measures" in response.

The shells reportedly splashed into the maritime buffer zone north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between both Koreas in the Yellow Sea.

On Sunday afternoon (Jan 7), South Korea media reports, citing military sources, claimed that North Korea had once again fired shots into the sea north ofYeonpyeong island.

(With inputs from agencies)