SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister visited frontline areas where soldiers are reinforcing the heavily armed border with South Korea and renewed a threat to retaliate against any South Korean provocation targeting the fortification work, state media said Wednesday.
Tensions between the war-divided rivals have risen since three South Korean soldiers were injured last month in land mine blasts that the South’s military blamed on North Korean devices planted south of the countries' military demarcation line.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim Yo Jong toured the areas Tuesday with Korean People’s Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon, one of her brother’s top military officials. She called the North’s fortification efforts a “sacred and great undertaking” supporting the leader’s policy of permanently severing ties with South Korea, which he has declared his most hostile adversary amid a broader stalemate in diplomacy with Washington.
“Our military leadership underlined the need to make those rogues aware that our new firepower units have taken their firing positions,” she said, while reminding soldiers of her brother’s order to make the border with the “enemy ... eternally impregnable.”
Following an inspection with the U.S.-led United Nations Command, Seoul earlier this month formally blamed North Korean-planted mines for the Sept. 21 border blasts and urged the North to apologize and clear its remaining mines. That announcement came after North Korea denied responsibility for the explosions and warned of strong retaliation if provoked.
Kim Yo Jong’s border inspection came a day after she warned that the North could restart anti-Seoul propaganda broadcasts with loudspeakers, which were a previously used psychological warfare tool, and could deploy more powerful weapons along the border with South Korea. She accused the South of firing warning shots and making warning broadcasts toward North Korean soldiers fortifying border areas under a false pretext that they crossed the border, and insisted that such provocations have increased "beyond the red line” since the mine blasts.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Jin Yong-Sung, called Kim Yo Jong’s threat “intolerable” and ordered the military to “sternly respond” to potential provocations by the North.
North Korea in recent years has added mines, barbed wire fences, anti-tank barriers and other fortifications to what's already one of the world's most heavily armed borders as Kim Jong Un pushed a hard line toward Seoul.
South Korea’s military has said North Korean soldiers crossed the border’s military demarcation line 50 times this year during fortification work, and that it responded with warning shots and broadcasts.
During Tuesday’s border inspection, Pak accused the South of making “deliberate, premeditated and absurd” claims to shift the blame to the North over the rising tensions and threatened an “overwhelming response” to South Korean provocations. He denied that the North Korean soldiers were breaching the border during fortification work, saying “our army knows where our borderline is better than any others,” KCNA said.
In this photo provided Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, by the North Korean government, Kim Yo Jong, center left, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, visits frontline areas, with military officials, in North Korea Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
FILE - A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post next to loudspeakers, seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
FILE - Kim Yo Jong, a sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2019. (Jorge Silva/Pool Photo via AP, File)
DAYTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 21, 2026--
In recognition of Sustainability Month this October, Domaine Serene Winery is highlighting the deep-rooted stewardship decisions shaping its wines, from preserving Oregon’s landscapes to developing a lighter wine bottle and investing in its people.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261021383025/en/
Grace and Ken Evenstad founded Domaine Serene in 1989, drawn to the Willamette Valley’s potential and its similarities to Burgundy. Their vision continues to guide the winery’s pursuit to produce world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. For more than 35 years, Domaine Serene has held a simple belief: producing exceptional wine carries a responsibility to care for the land and preserve the estate for future generations. This vision permeates across the entire Evenstad Estates portfolio including Château de la Crée, Domaine Evenstad, and Maison Evenstad in Burgundy, France.
“Grace and Ken’s vision connected the pursuit of crafting exceptional wine with a responsibility to this estate. Sustainability isn’t a new initiative at Domaine Serene. It’s always been at the heart of our work,” said Rusty Field, CEO & President at Domaine Serene. “Our role is to carry those values forward, caring for the land and supporting the people who will shape Domaine Serene for generations to come.”
Protecting the Land Behind the Wines
In the vineyards, cover crops, reduced tilling, composting, and sheep grazing support long-term soil health. Across the estate, planting native species and removing invasive-species help restore habitats, while ladder fuel removal, expanded natural firebreaks, and water reservoirs support wildfire mitigation. Domaine Serene’s vineyards have held LIVE, Salmon-Safe, and Bee Friendly certifications since 2013.
Of the approximately 1,000 acres Domaine Serene owns in Oregon, the winery preserves 65% in its natural state, including forests, oak savannahs, and riparian zones. These lands sequester more than 1,500 metric tons of CO 2 annually, which is comparable to the annual emissions from roughly 350 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.
A Lighter Bottle With No Compromise in Quality
“Sustainability is a core pillar for us at Evenstad Estates. When Grace challenged us to create a lighter bottle, it required us to look at things from an entirely different perspective,” said Michael Fay, Vice President of Winemaking & Viticulture. “We bring tremendous care to the vineyards and the wines. The bottle deserves the same attention, including the resources needed to make it.”
The resulting Cépage Eco bottle, created in partnership with Saverglass, weighs 495 grams, 30% less than the standard Cépage bottle, while retaining Domaine Serene’s recognizable silhouette and presentation. The lighter design reduces glass use by approximately 250,000 pounds per vintage.
Caring for People and Community
Domaine Serene’s stewardship work also encompasses workplace safety, employee benefits, and sustainability education. Through community engagement, philanthropy, support for regional nonprofits, and investments in wine education and future industry talent, the winery extends its commitment well beyond the estate.
“The experiences we share with guests begin with all the people who make them possible,” said Liz Lease-McCaffrey, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “To us, stewardship means caring for our team, being thoughtful partners, and contributing to the community around us. We honor those responsibilities with the same dedication and care we give our wines.”
Measuring Progress and Looking Ahead
Winery-level certified LIVE practices support ongoing tracking of greenhouse-gas emissions, energy, water, materials, waste, and employee safety. This work helps the team measure progress and identify opportunities for further improvement.
“The work is in the decisions we revisit every day,” said Chris Ramsey, Director of Wine Operations & Development. “Measuring how we use water, energy and materials helps us see where we need to improve. Our responsibility is to do better each day and keep putting what we learn into practice.”
Future priorities include additional pollinator-friendly plantings, increased use of green energy, greater winery water efficiency, further packaging standardization, reduced tilling, and continued cover-crop trials.
About Domaine Serene Winery:
Entrepreneurs at heart, Grace and Ken Evenstad put down roots in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, where they saw the region’s potential with its similarities to Burgundy, and in 1989 founded Domaine Serene. Thanks to this vision, today Domaine Serene is home to seven individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, that are all LIVE certified. Domaine Serene’s winemaking philosophy is informed by over 30 years of experience and guided by the Evenstads’ passion and pursuit to create world-class wines. Domaine Serene welcomes guests to experience its winery and Clubhouse, prestigious grounds, wine lounges, and incredible selection of wines across their three Oregon locations. Domaine Serene is part of the Evenstad Estates portfolio of luxury wine brands from Oregon and Burgundy, continuing to lead the global standards for world-class wines and exceptional hospitality. For more information, visit DomaineSerene.com.
Domaine Serene Celebrates Sustainability Month With Measurable Progress in Environmental Stewardship
