Strong tension between the two Koreas. The North used the inter-Korean telephone line today to threaten attacks on South Korean propaganda units that broadcast high-volume messages across the border with powerful amplifiers. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Seoul.
The message from the Korean People's Army General Staff has given Seoul 48 hours to dismantle the amplifiers or else Pyongyang will take military action. The ultimatum will expire at 17pm local time (10am in Italy) on Saturday.
The warning came after the North fired artillery shells at a loudspeaker which, in recent days, had been blaring propaganda broadcasts against the Pyongyang regime.
The South Korean defense minister said Seoul's artillery returned fire with 150mm shells.
This is the most serious exchange of fire in the last 5 years. The Seoul government has also ordered the evacuation of some cities close to the border.
South Korean propaganda announcements against Kim Jong-un's regime through loudspeakers on the border between the two countries recently resumed after an 11-year hiatus.
Tensions along the hypermilitarized inter-Korean border have grown further in recent weeks after landmine explosions in which two members of the South Korean border guards were seriously injured.
