GIMPO, South Korea: Visitors to a South Korean observatory overlooking North Korea have expressed concern after artillery vehicles were seen near the border with their gun barrels pointing south, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.

The two Koreas have exchanged accusations and strengthened their military positions along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) since September, when a landmine explosion wounded three South Korean soldiers. Seoul has demanded an apology from Pyongyang, which has accused South Korea of making up the incident.

On October 22, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, said Pyongyang would prepare loudspeakers capable of broadcasting anti-South Korean propaganda along the entire border within days. She also said unspecified new countermeasures were on alert.

South Korean media photographed an armored vehicle near the frontier on October 24. By October 26, three vehicles had been seen with their gun barrels pointing south, according to a Reuters witness.

Jang Gil-seong, an 83-year-old veteran of the Vietnam War, said seeing the weapons in person had made the threat feel more real. He spoke outside the Aegibong observatory, which overlooks North Korea's Kaephung county from about 1.4 kilometers away.

"I'd only seen on TV that North Korea had deployed 122-mm artillery, but seeing the area in person makes me realize just how real the danger is," he said.

Jang also expressed concern about the preparations South Korea would need to make to deal with the threat in the future.

The DMZ continues to attract both foreign and local tourists despite repeated periods of tension. The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Hannah Robbins, a 28-year-old Canadian tourist, said her group learned about the artillery vehicles only after their guide pointed them out at the observatory.

"We're a bit scared, obviously," she said. She added that the guide had told the group not to worry because the weapons would not be fired, but the sight had still left them concerned.

Military analysts identified the weapons as M-1981 122-mm self-propelled howitzers, an older North Korean artillery system believed to have entered service in the late 1970s.

The weapons have a maximum range of about 24 kilometers, placing parts of South Korea, including Gimpo, within their reach. The observatory is located in Gimpo.

However, Yang Uk, a military expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the artillery was less powerful than newer systems. He viewed the deployment mainly as a display of military strength rather than a major improvement in North Korea's fighting ability.

Yang also noted that the vehicles were positioned where they could be easily seen, suggesting North Korea wanted to draw attention to them.

South Korea's military also described the weapons as an older system.

At a briefing on October 27, Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Jang Do-young said that although North Korea had recently referred to new weapons systems in its statements, the artillery vehicles did not appear to fall into that category.