North, South Korea head towards war

North, South Korea head towards new clash as deadline looms

North and South Korea appeared headed towards another clash on Friday as Seoul refused to halt propaganda broadcasts and Pyongyang put its troops on a war footing, prompting China to urge both sides to take a step back.

South Korean Vice Defence Minister Baek Seung-joo said it was likely the North would fire at some of the 11 sites where Seoul has set up loudspeakers on its side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the countries.

The South earlier refused an ultimatum that it halt anti-Pyongyang broadcasts by Saturday afternoon or face military action.

North Korea fired four shells into South Korea on Thursday, according to Seoul, in apparent protest against the broadcasts. The South fired back 29 artillery shells. Pyongyang accused the South of inventing a pretext to fire into the North.

Both sides said there were no casualties or damage in their territory, an indication that the rounds were just warning shots.

"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," said Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

But China, which remains North Korea's main economic backer despite diminished political clout to influence Pyongyang, said on Friday it was deeply concerned about the escalation of tension and called for calm from both sides.

Since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, Pyongyang and Seoul have often exchanged threats, and dozens of soldiers have been killed, yet the two sides have always pulled back from all-out war.

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troops on war footing after exchange

North Korea orders troops on war footing after exchange of fire with South

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops onto a war footing from 5 p.m on Friday after Pyongyang issued an ultimatum to Seoul to halt anti-North propaganda broadcasts by Saturday afternoon or face military action.

Tension on the divided peninsula escalated on Thursday when North Korea fired shells into South Korea to protest against the loudspeaker broadcasts from the Korean border. The South responded with its own artillery barrage.

Both sides said there were no casualties or damage in their territory.

The North's shelling came after it had demanded last weekend that South Korea end the broadcasts or face military action - a relatively rare case of it following up on its frequent threats against the South.

Its 48-hour ultimatum to halt the broadcasts, delivered in a letter to the South Korean Defence Ministry via a joint military communications channel, was also uncharacteristically specific.

A South Korean military official said the broadcasts would continue.

The North Korean leader would put his troops on a "fully armed state of war" starting from 5 p.m. (0830 GMT) and had declared a "quasi-state of war" in frontline areas, Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency reported.

Some North Korean propaganda websites were not accessible on Friday morning.

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