Earlier this week, a small park on the inter-Korean border, about an hour’s drive from Seoul, became the center of media attention.

The reason was that North Korean artillery had appeared across the river from the Aegibong observatory, with its barrels pointed toward South Korea. The sight of artillery guns positioned within view of a popular tourist destination quickly became a sensation.

Yet the incident is far less alarming than it appears. The deployment seems intended not as a preparation for military action, but as a political message. 

Pyongyang wants to remind South Koreans that it now regards their country