In yet another sign of hostilities between the rival nations, North Korea fired more than 200 artillery rounds on Friday close to a disputed maritime boundary with South Korea, prompting the South to respond with “corresponding” live fire drills.
Later, North Korea claimed that its fire drills were a “natural response” to recent military operations by South Korea’s “military gangsters.” An “unprecedented strong response” was also promised if Seoul persisted in its provocative actions.
Following the exchange, the South Korean military ordered the population of two isolated South Korean islands on the western maritime boundary to flee to bomb shelters before firing live ammunition towards the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) border.
South Korea’s military, however, said that the firing by North Korea did not cause any civilian or military damage in the South.
Supervising the firing drills, South Korea’s Defence Minister, Shin Won-Sik, said, “This is an act of provocation that escalates tension and threatens peace on the Korean peninsula.”
South Korean military spokesperson, Lee Sung-Joon, spoke in a news briefing saying that all of the North Korean artillery shells fell on the northern side of the maritime border. He also stated that the South Korean military has been keeping an eye on the North’s movements along its coastline with assistance from the U.S. military.
Moreover, the South Korean Defence Ministry said the marine brigades situated on the Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong islands shot at sea to the south of the NLL boundary, exhibiting an “overwhelming operational response.” Tanks and automated artillery were used in the South Korean drills.
The North Korean Army General Staff declared that its defence coastal units fired 192 rounds during the manoeuvres “as natural response by our military against military actions by South Korea’s military gangsters,” as reported by the official KCNA news agency.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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