North Korea And South Korea On The Brink Of War? Seoul Refuses To Stop Broadcasting Propoganda; Kim Jong Un On War Footing; North and South Korea Exchange Fire

North Korea and South Korea are reportedly on the brink of war as each side stands their ground in a looming deadline. South Korea reportedly refused an ultimatum to halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts by Saturday afternoon. Kim Jong Un says troops are prepared for war. North and South Korea exchanged fire at the border.

According to South Korean Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo, it appears likely that North Korea will on the 11 sites that house loudspeakers in the Demilitarised Zone separating the countries.

North Korea fired a projectile at a South Korean loudspeaker that was broadcasting anti-Pyongyang messages on Thursday. North Korea warned Seoul it would take "military action" if the South did not halt the broadcasts by 5 p.m. Saturday, according to South Korean media.

The North Korean Army director of the general reconnaissance bureau Kim Yong Chol denied claims that Pyongyang has been raising tensions on the peninsula and that North Korea fired across the Demilitarized Zone. He issued a statement saying South Korea has not offered conclusive evidence where the rocket was launched or where it landed.

No casualties or damage was reported.

"The fact that both sides' shells didn't damage anything means they did not want to spread an armed clash. There is always a chance for war, but that chance is very, very low," Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told Reuters.

South Korea ordered evacuations in villages close to the border, The Associated Press reported.

North Korea fired four shells into South Korea on Thursday, Aug. 21, according to South Korean authorities. South Korea reportedly fired 29 artillery shells in retaliation.

Senior party and defense officials led by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Thursday night and "reviewed and approved the final attack operation," according to a North Korean military official.

"The ultimatum is unusual. Because it's a game of chicken -- one side or the other has to back down, unless they find some sort of face-saving subterfuge. And it doesn't seem like they're looking for face-saving subterfuge," said John Delury, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University

The North Korean president's order "is a strange concept because North Korea lives in a sort of perpetual quasi-state of war -- though this could be significant as it's directed at the troops, not the whole country," said Delury.

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north korea kim jong-un
South Korea
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