North Korea fired more than 200 rounds of artillery shells on Friday near two South Korean islands in a disputed maritime boundary between the two countries, prompting Seoul to order the evacuation of its residents.
The artillery firing was in direct violation of a fragile military agreement reached in 2018 between South Korea and North Korea. It represents a further escalation of the tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul. The area was considered a non-hostility zone for the two rivals.
“This is an act of provocation that escalates tension and threatens peace on the Korean peninsula,” South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said on Friday.
The firing of the artillery shells by North Korea triggered a “corresponding” action by South Korea, which started live fire drills with mechanized artillery and tanks in the disputed area—the Northern Limit Line (LNN) border—after ordering residents of the Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands to find refuge in bomb shelters.
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images
South Korea condemned North Korea’s actions, calling them a “provocative act.” The rounds of artillery fired by North Korea caused “no damage to our people or military,” according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The artillery shells, fired between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. local time, did not actually land in South Korea’s territory but remained in the disputed area. However, South Korean authorities have warned about the importance of this act.
“North Korea resuming its artillery fire drills inside the non-hostility zone this morning is an act of provocation which threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and raises tension,” South Korea’s Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said in a statement.
“Our military must assume the readiness to completely wipe out the enemy so that they wouldn’t dare another provocation, and to back up the pace through strength,” he added.
The South Korean Defense Ministry said that “North Korea bears full responsibility for this escalating crisis and strongly urge them to immediately cease these actions.” The ministry added that the country is monitoring the situation in “close coordination” with the U.S.
Only a few months ago, North Korea withdrew from a military deal aimed at preventing “military conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air.” The relationship between the two countries is now at one of its lowest points in decades.
It’s not the first time that tensions have risen in this disputed area of the Yellow Sea. In 2010, Pyongyang fired artillery shells against Yeonpyeong island—which belongs to the South—killing a total of four people, two soldiers and two civilians.
The island is home to a military base and a civilian population of about 2,000 people.
China, a longtime ally of North Korea, urged the two countries to “maintain calm and restraint” and “refrain from taking actions that aggravate tensions, avoid further escalation of the situation, and create conditions for the resumption of meaningful dialogue,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
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