Rival Koreas trading artillery fire at border

The North did not return fire, but did warn the South to discontinue the broadcast within 48 hours or face military repercussions, the the South’s defense ministry said, according to Reuters.

North Korea’s fire was aimed at a South Korean loudspeaker that had been blaring anti-Pyongyang broadcasts, South Korea’s defense ministry said.

South Korea’s defence ministry said its military had returned fire in a statement on Thursday.

South Korea’s military, which said it fired dozens of artillery rounds in response, raised its alert status to the highest level.

No injuries or damage have been reported on either side as the shells landed in remote areas, but it has prompted evacuations at South Korea’s border towns, including Yeoncheon where the North Korean shell fell.

In October last year, North Korea border guards attempted to shoot down some helium balloons launched across the land border by activists and carrying thousands of anti-North leaflets.

No casualties have so far been reported.

“We have strengthened our military readiness and are closely watching movements of the North’s military”, it added.

In that incident, soldiers from the North approached the border and did not retreat when warning shots were fired, according to the South’s defence ministry.

North Korea had promised to retaliate against the broadcasts, which criticise alleged provocations from Pyongyang and praise South Korea’s democracy.

The presidential office in Seoul said it was convening an urgent meeting of the national security council, Yonhap news agency said.

North Korea have denied the accusations and threatened to launch strikes on South Korean loudspeakers.

IHS had predicted in a forecast earlier this month that there is an increased risk of escalation of incidents following the landmine explosions that injured two South Korean soldiers in the DMZ on August 4, and during a period of heightened tension between the two Koreas – namely the “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” US-South Korea annual military exercise.

Earlier in the day, North Korea sent a letter to South Korea, saying that South Korea’s resumption of a loudspeaker campaign is a “declaration of war” against the North.

This back-and-forth propaganda campaign was common during the Cold War, and employed by both sides following the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War and established the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.