Seoul evacuates two islands after accusing Pyongyang of launching 200 projectiles on the coast of the Korean Peninsula

The South Korean army has evacuated two islands after accusing North Korea of ​​firing more than 200 rounds of artillery shells on Friday morning – early morning in mainland Spain – in waters near its western coast, close to the western border between the two nations. In response to the shooting, several units of the South Korean Marine Corps practiced live fire maneuvers hours later, during which twice as many bullets were fired, around 400, details the Yonhap news agency. Given the increase in tensions in the region, China has called for “moderation” and to find “a way to resume serious dialogue” between all parties.

The North Korean army fired more than 200 projectiles between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular time) this Friday near the islands of Yeonpyeong (with about 2,000 inhabitants) and Baengnyeong (with 4,329 inhabitants), the General Staff reported. South Korean set. Given the possibility that Pyongyang would initiate more “instigating” military actions, Seoul ordered the evacuation of civilians starting at noon to air raid shelters, according to island authorities. In addition, all ferry services that were due to leave in the afternoon from Incheon, a port located west of the capital, to these islands were cancelled.

The explosives launched by Pyongyang this morning crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line (LLN), drawn by the United Nations after the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953 and which functions as a maritime border. de facto in the Yellow Sea (known as the West Sea in both Koreas), although Pyongyang rejects it. The projectiles have impacted, without causing damage, in the buffer zone established in the 2018 military agreement, which was signed with the aim of reducing tensions and which the North Korean regime abandoned last November.

The spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colonel Lee Sung-jun, has “seriously” warned that “all responsibility for this type of crisis escalation falls on North Korea” and has “firmly” urged its “immediate” cessation. ”. In 2010, two soldiers and two civilians were killed in Yeonpyeong after Pyongyang fired dozens of projectiles at the island. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have explained that, although this Friday's incident did not harm either the people or the military, the act represents “a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and increases tensions.”

Hours after the incident, South Korean Navy soldiers practiced live-fire artillery exercises against simulated targets in the waters south of the LLN, according to military officials. This is the first drill of its kind that Seoul has carried out around the islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong since the 2018 summit. Then, it was agreed to eliminate artillery maneuvers near the border and established maritime buffer zones and a land buffer zone. , in addition to a no-fly zone around the demilitarized zone.

North Korea unilaterally abandoned the treaty last November, after South Korea partially suspended it in protest over the successful launch of a military satellite with spy capabilities. However, Pyongyang had violated it on multiple occasions over the past two years. Therefore, some analysts maintain that the official withdrawal of the agreement may not make much of a difference.

Friday's shooting comes a day after the United States and South Korea ended a week of joint military exercises in Pocheon, north of Seoul. In the war drills, the operation of artillery, tanks, armored vehicles and A-10 Warthong aircraft was tested. This series of exercises between the two allies angered Pyongyang, which promised that there would be retaliation against the “mad dogs”, which it threatened with “painful moments”.

China calls for “moderation”

Amid the increase in tensions, China this Friday called for “moderation”: “In the current situation, we hope that all parties involved will remain calm, refrain from taking measures that aggravate tension, avoid a further escalation of the situation and create the appropriate conditions for the resumption of a serious dialogue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said this Friday.

The bombing also coincides with a day in which the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, requested that the production of several missile launch vehicles be promoted, a task that he described as “imperative” to prepare for a “military confrontation” with the enemy, according to the North Korean news agency KCNA. During a key Workers' Party meeting last week, Kim ordered his country's military, munitions industry and nuclear weapons sector to accelerate war preparations. And he warned that a war — in his opinion, incited by Washington — could “break out at any moment.” Furthermore, he assured that unification with the South was not possible and that North Korea would change its policy towards its neighbor, which it considers an enemy.

The South Korean spy agency already announced last month that North Korea is very likely to increase military provocations or cyberattacks in early 2024, before South Korea's parliamentary elections, scheduled for April, as well as in the months before. to the presidential elections in the United States, which will be held in November.

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