South Korea on highest alert after exchange of artillery with North Korea

North Korea stands accused of planting land mines in the path of South Korean patrols — (Image credit: Kim Doo-Ho/AFP/Getty Images)

On Thursday, North Korea fired an artillery shell into South Korea, Seoul said, apparently aiming for a loudspeaker that has been blaring anti-Pyongyang propaganda north of the DMZ for a week, since South Korean soldiers were maimed by a land mine. South Korea fired dozens of shells back, and its military is now on its highest alert as national security officials gather in Seoul to discuss how to react.

Some residents of Yeoncheon, near where the North Korean shell fell, were evacuated to bunkers, and other South Koreans nearby or near other loudspeakers were asked to stay home or take shelter. There have been no injuries reported. You can watch BBC News correspondent Kevin Kim discuss what happened and where he thinks this might lead in the video below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.