North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered army units to enter a "wartime state," one of the nation's highest levels of military alert, ratcheting up tensions with South Korea a day after the two countries exchanged fire over their heavily armed border. Front lines are expected to be on standby, fully armed, and in bunkers and gun positions, according to a spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, who spoke with The New York Times.
The shooting started when North Korea fired a shell at a loudspeaker South Korea was using to broadcast anti-Pyongyang propaganda across the border. The communist North, known for its saber-rattling, threatened further military action if South Korea does not shut off the loudspeaker by 5 p.m. Saturday.
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