Straddling the 38th parallel, war now seems to be one step away. According to KCNA, North Korea's official news agency, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has deployed army units on the militarized border between the two Koreas, ordering a state of "war" starting at 17pm today ( 10 and 30 Italian).
The troops must be "fully ready to fight and launch surprise operations", while the entire front line must be in "a state of semi-warfare", said Kim Jong-Un, as reported by KCNA. The South Korean Chief of Staff asked to refrain from "any reckless act", warning that he would not stand by in case of further provocation.
Tension skyrocketed after that an exchange of artillery fire. South Korea's armed forces were already on alert after the ultimatum launched yesterday by the North, which had ordered the war propaganda on the border to cease within 48 hours, carried on from Seoul with loudspeakers turned on at full volume. The Central Military Commission of North Korea, led by Kim Jong-Un, had given carte blanche to plans for "retaliatory attacks".
In fact, it is not the first time that North Korea has resorted to such announcements in times of tension. The young North Korean leader had already declared a "state of war" with the South in 2013. The two countries are still technically in conflict since the Korean War (1950-53) which ended with a simple ceasefire, not a peace treaty.
