SEOUL: North Korea fired more than 60 rounds of artillery near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, just a day after both North and South Korea conducted live-fire drills in the same area along their contested maritime border. The incident follows a similar barrage on Friday, where over 200 rounds were fired, leading to the evacuation of residents and a suspension of ferry services.
According to a statement from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the artillery rounds on Saturday were launched from the northwest area of Yeonpyeong Island between 16:00 and 17:00 GMT. The shells reportedly landed within a buffer zone established under a 2018 tension-reducing deal that fell apart in November after North Korea launched a spy satellite.
Residents of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong Islands were again ordered to evacuate to shelters in response to the artillery fire, marking one of the most serious military escalations in the region since 2010 when North Korea bombarded Yeonpyeong Island.
South Korea Warns North Korea
Seoul’s military issued a strong warning, expressing concerns about the repeated artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone, stating that it poses a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and escalates tensions. The Joint Chiefs of Staff urged North Korea to immediately cease such actions and warned that South Korea’s military would take appropriate measures to safeguard the nation.
North Korea, however, claimed on Friday that its live-fire drills had not affected the border islands in any way. The situation adds to the already strained relations between the two Koreas, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently solidifying the country’s nuclear status in the constitution and warning of a potential nuclear attack on the South.
