One Insane Egomaniac May Have Just Sparked WWIII [VIDEO]

Shae Weatherall

Tensions are heating up again between a United States ally and their insane neighbor to the north. The feud between the two nations is long-standing and sometimes skirmishes break out which threaten to shatter the already fragile peace. An exchange of artillery fire, which started on Thursday, could translate into the spark that sets off WWIII.

North Korea and South Korea have been in a technical state of war since the early 1950’s. The United States and South Korea are close allies, and the U.S. helped South Korea in their war with the North Koreans beginning in 1950. An armistice agreement, which introduced a truce between the two countries, was declared in 1953, but relations have been far from peaceful.

There have been innumerable occasions of North Korea showing aggression toward South Korea by flying into their airspace, firing rounds over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and making threats of strikes against South Korean cities. Typically, when they are accused of breaking the truce, they deny any wrong doing. This time, however, South Korea isn’t accepting their denials and is preparing for war.

According to Fox News, on Thursday North Korea fired into South Korea several times before South Korea responded with a barrage of artillery in retaliation.

North Korea on Thursday afternoon first fired a single round believed to be from an anti-aircraft gun, which landed near a South Korean border town, Seoul said. About 20 minutes later, three North Korean artillery shells fell on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas. South Korea responded with dozens of 155-millimeter artillery rounds, according to South Korean defense officials.

North Korea said the South Korean shells landed near four military posts but caused no injuries. No one was reported injured in the South, either, though hundreds were evacuated from front line towns.

Apparently, the reasoning behind North Korea’s most recent aggression is their anger over anti-North Korea propaganda being broadcast by South Korea over several massive loudspeaker towers on the southern border of the DMZ into North Korea. The artillery was apparently targeting those towers.

On August 4th, two South Korean soldiers were severely injured by landmines allegedly planted by the North Koreans along the southern edge of the DMZ. After that incident, an angry South Korea resumed it’s anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts for the first time in 11 years.

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un has denied that his military fired the rounds and demanded “proof.” However, the aggression came back to back with his threat to South Korea that they stop the broadcasts within 48 hours or suffer indiscriminate attacks by the North. That deadline ends at 5pm local time on Saturday. Officials at Seoul have refused to comply.

This tense situation comes at a very inopportune time. CNN reports that U.S. Troops and the South Korean military are currently involved in a massive joint training live fire exercise, which is just south of the DMZ. The operations were halted briefly but have since resumed.

There is some concern that Kim Jong-un will view the planned training as an act of intimidation and react impulsively. He has already given the order for his front line military units to be put in a “wartime state,” apparently in preparation for the South Koreans to defy his deadline to stop the broadcasts.

Kim Jong-un is notorious for his massive ego and his thin skin. Although he has made threats and not followed through in the past, there is speculation that because of the propaganda directly attacking his character and questioning his competence as a leader, he may become so insanely enraged that he will indeed begin a full-out war.

If that happens, the U.S. will be involved from the very beginning, considering we have over 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea right now, and their purpose is to help keep North Korea in check. North Korea absolutely despises the United States, and they also happen to be on decent terms with a few of our other enemies as well. Russia, for one, is quite a powerful nation, and I’m not sure they would pass up an opportunity to come to North Korea’s aid if it meant they would be able to engage the U.S. in a war that they wouldn’t have to take credit for starting. That is worrisome.

The deadline for stopping propaganda broadcasts is up at 3:00 a.m. Central Standard Time on Saturday.

h/t [Fox News]