North, South Korea Back Off War Footing at Deadline

They hold rare peace talks after days of threats
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 22, 2015 6:06 AM CDT
North, South Korea Back Off War Footing at Deadline
South Korean army soldiers ride on a truck in Yeoncheon, south of the demilitarized zone, Saturday.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The West is not waking up to a shooting war between North and South Korea, despite an ultimatum by the North to that effect. Instead: peace talks. Pyongyang had demanded that the South dismantle its propaganda-blaring loudspeaker systems along the border by about 4am Eastern or risk "all-out war," reports AP. The loudspeakers didn't come down, but high-level representatives from both countries met in the border village of Panmunjom, reports Reuters. It's the first such meeting in a year. No word on any breakthroughs, but the meeting raises hopes that both sides can save face and avoid a confrontation, says an analyst at a Seoul research institute. (More North Korea stories.)

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