North Korea likely to carry out psychological warfare ahead of elections: official

Photos showing North Korea's missiles, right, are displayed at the Unification Observation Post in Paju, Wednesday. North Korea could continue its psychological warfare against South Korea ahead of the South's general elections in April, a senior official in Seoul said Wednesday. AP-Yonhap

North Korea could continue its psychological warfare against South Korea ahead of the South's general elections in April, a senior official in Seoul said Wednesday.

South Korea will beef up measures against cyberattacks and dissemination of false information by North Korea, Vice Unification Minister Moon Seoung-hyun said.

The warning came three days after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, claimed the North conducted a "deceptive operation" by detonating explosives simulating the sound of coastal artillery to test the South Korean military's detection capabilities.

"The upcoming general elections are very important and North Korea will continue with its psychological warfare against the South to split public opinion and pressure the government," Moon said in a television interview.

Earlier this month, the ministry denounced North Korea for attempting to divide South Korean society with threats and far-fetched criticisms ahead of the general elections in April.

North Korea has a track record of staging provocations before South Korea's general elections.

In the months before South Korea's parliamentary elections in April 2016, North Korea carried out a series of provocations, including a fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of a long-range missile in February.

In 2020, North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles on four occasions in March alone, just weeks before South Koreans went to the polls to elect lawmakers in April. (Yonhap)