PRIME TIME NEWS 22:00 N. Korea puts frontline troops on war footing as inter-Korean tensions rise HD

PRIME TIME NEWS 22:00 North Korea declares a "state of war" in frontline areas... and orders his military to prepare for battle. South Korea... vows stern countermeasures to any provocations. The international community expresses concern over rising tensions... calling on both sides to keep calm. Washington reiterates its commitment to defending South Korea. And... as sparring between South and North Korea adds to global economic uncertainties,... South Korean shares plunge to their lowest level in two years. Hello... and welcome to Prime Time News... on this Friday, August 21st. I′m Hwang Ji-hye. And I′m Daniel Choy. Thanks for joining us. Title: N. Korea puts frontline troops on war footing as inter-Korean tensions rise We start with the escalating tensions between the two Koreas. Emergency meetings have been held in Seoul and Pyongyang... and the militaries of both Koreas are on high alert. This follows the exchange of artillery fire across the border yesterday... and landmine blasts that maimed two South Korean soldeirs earlier this month. For the latest... we go live to our Kim Hyun-bin... at the defense ministry in Seoul. Hyun-bin, we′re hearing reports that the North′s forward area units are in full preparation for military action? Yes. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has declared a "quasi-state of war" and ordered his chief commanders to join frontline troops to prepare for military operations. ""We have received orders from the supreme commander to fully arm our troops on the border and issue a quasi-state of war starting at 5 p.m. on Friday." Military officials say that they have detected movements of scud and Rodong missiles...which can be fired at any given moment. Scud missiles have a range of 500 kilometers while Rodong missiles...can cover up to 12 hundred kilometers,... meaning that both are able to target any point across the Korean peninsula when fired from the border. The South Korean military says it is keeping a close watch on any missile movement in the North. Amid the heightened tension defense minister Han Min-koo released a statement to the nation on Friday, putting his foot on the ground on North Korean issues. "If North Korea decides to provoke...we will do as we′ve warned, that is, retaliate mercilessly and make them pay. Korea and the U.S. are under a mutual assistance system and will contain future provocations from Pyongyang." Minister Han said earlier in the day that possible provocations could take place soon after the deadline imposed by the North, which is Saturday at 5 p.m. To this, Han emphasized that the military will strongly counter any provocations from the North. South Korea′s defense ministry sent a message to Pyongyang through their inter-Korean communication line ..... just a few hours ago. It stated that the recent land mine explosions at the DMZ were a clear violation of the armistice agreement and the non-aggression pa