With tensions between North and South Korea already high thanks to an artillery exchange along the border, North Korea is now threatening more action unless South Korea halts its propaganda campaign against the country's regime.
South Korea's Ministry of National Defense cited North Korea's threat: "The North side threatened to start military action if the South does not stop its anti-Pyongyang psychological broadcasting and remove all the facilities in 48 hours from 5:00 p.m."
BREAKING: DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un orders frontline army to enter a state of war from 5 p.m. Friday -- Media— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 20, 2015
The two sides began using speakers to blast propaganda messages across the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the countries, the first time since 2004 that the speakers have been utilized for such purposes.
North Korea's army said previously in a statement that the broadcasts were a declaration of war and that if they were not immediately stopped, "an all-out military action of justice" would ensue.
While, The Washington Post reports South Korean President President Park Geun-hye has "ordered the military to maintain readiness."
S.Korean defense ministry says there's no special movement from North yet.— Jaehwan Cho 조재환 (@hohocho) August 20, 2015
North Korea issued a statement calling South Korea's firing of artillery shells "a grave military provocation that can never be tolerated." The North also denied responsibility for causing the artillery exchange, saying, "Putting forward a nonexistent pretext that our military fired a shell toward the South, warmaniacs of the South Korean puppet military engaged in the reckless act."
(URGENT) N. Korea threatens to dispatch war commander to frontline if South continues propaganda broadcasts http://t.co/Kam425yhWZ— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) August 20, 2015
The cross-border propaganda warfare followed accusations from Seoul that Pyongyang had planted land mines that maimed two South Korean soldiers last week on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.
#SouthKorea vice finance minister Joo says: no direct impact seen on markets from #NorthKorea-related risks— Sangwon Yoon (@sangwonyoon) August 20, 2015
According to the Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's two main parties, the ruling Saenuri Party and the opposition New Politics Alliance, will each hold their own emergency meeting on Friday to discuss North Korea's latest actions. Members of both party on the parliamentary defense committee will also meet with Defense Minister Han Min-koo.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press