Houston Chronicle

North Korea warns of war with South

U.S. halts joint military exercises as tensions rise along border

- By Eric Talmadge and Hyung-Jin Kim

NPYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday declared his front-line troops in a “quasi-state of war” and ordered them to prepare for battle a day after the most serious confrontat­ion between the rivals in years.

South Korea’s military on Thursday fired dozens of artillery rounds across the border in response to what Seoul said were North Korean artillery strikes meant to back up a threat to attack loudspeake­rs broadcasti­ng anti-Pyongyang propaganda.

The spike in tensions prompted the U.S. and South Korea to briefly halt an annual military exercise that began this week, U.S. defense officials said Friday. North Korea had criticized the drills, calling them a preparatio­n for invasion, although the U.S. and South Korea insist they are defensive in nature.

The North’s declaratio­n Friday is similar to its other warlike rhetoric in recent years, including repeated threats to reduce Seoul to a “sea of fire,” and the huge numbers of soldiers and military equipment already stationed along the border mean the area is always essentiall­y in a “quasi-state of war.” Still, the North’s apparent willingnes­s to test Seoul with military strikes and its recent warning of further action raise worries because South Korea has vowed to hit back with overwhelmi­ng strength.

Pyongyang says it did not fire anything at the South, a claim Seoul dismissed as nonsense.

Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to “enter a wartime state” and be fully ready for any military operations starting Friday evening, according to a report in Pyongyang’s official news agency.

The North has also given Seoul a deadline of Saturday evening to remove border loudspeake­rs that, after a lull of 11 years, have started broadcasti­ng antiPyongy­ang propaganda. Failure, Pyongyang says, will result in further military action. Seoul has vowed to continue the broadcasts.

The North’s media report said that “military commanders were urgently dispatched for operations to attack South Korean psychologi­cal warfare facilities if the South doesn’t stop operating them.”

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentifi­ed government source, reported Friday that South Korean and U.S. surveillan­ce assets detected the movement of vehicles carrying shortrange Scud and mediumrang­e Rodong missiles.

North Korea said the South Korean shells fired Thursday landed near four military posts but caused no injuries. No one was reported injured in the South, either.

The loudspeake­r broadcasts began after South Korea accused the North of planting land mines that maimed two South Korean soldiers earlier this month. North Korea denies this, too.

Authoritar­ian North Korea, which has also restarted its own propaganda broadcasts, is extremely sensitive to any criticism of its government. The loudspeake­r broadcasts are taken seriously in Pyongyang because the government does not want its soldiers and residents to hear outsiders criticize human rights abuses and economic mismanagem­ent, South Korean analysts say.

 ?? Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press ?? North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday declared his frontline troops in a “quasi-state of war” and ordered them to prepare for battle a day after a confrontat­ion with South Korea.
Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday declared his frontline troops in a “quasi-state of war” and ordered them to prepare for battle a day after a confrontat­ion with South Korea.

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