North and South Korea appeared headed toward another clash, as Seoul refused an ultimatum that it halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts by this afternoon or face military action, and North Korea said its troops were on a war footing.

North Korea says it has test-fired a new anti-ship cruise missile, a move experts in Seoul see as an attempt to raise tensions ahead of joint military drills between the United States and South Korea.

North Korea confirmed today that a major communist party convention will be held next week as observers speculated that the secretive regime’s ageing leader was ready to give his son an important position to pave the way for his succession.

The death of a South Korean tourist shot by a North Korean soldier while visiting the Communist nation overshadowed efforts by Seoul’s new president to reach out and rekindle stalled reconciliation talks.