SEOUL, Oct 21 — North Korea has moved new units into “firing positions”, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un said today, days after Pyongyang warned it was considering deploying additional strike means to its border with South Korea.

Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang have soared since the South last month blamed an explosion inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two countries on landmines laid by North Korea, an accusation it has rejected.

“Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions,” Kim Yo Jong said, according to state media.

Her statement came a day after Seoul warned of a “firm” response to further North Korean provocations.