On the morning of January 5, North Korean artillery fired nearly 200 shells toward the South Korean border, targeting the area near the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
This is reported by CNN and Yonhap agency.
The shells fell in a buffer zone near the northern demarcation line in the Yellow Sea, the de facto maritime border between the countries. No one was injured in the shelling, but the population of the islands is urged to evacuate.
The South Korean military called North Koreaʼs actions a provocation and called on Pyongyang to stop them immediately. They said they were closely monitoring the situation with the United States and were planning live-fire exercises on border islands in the Yellow Sea.
A little over 7,000 people live on two small islands. In November 2010, Yeonpyeong was already shelled by North Korean troops, two soldiers and two civilians were killed, and up to 30 buildings were damaged. North Korea positioned it as a response to the training of the South Korean army. Therefore, this new shelling can be considered the first real escalation between North Korea and South Korea in 13 years.
CNN notes that last week, North Koreaʼs state news agency KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un said the country no longer seeks reconciliation and reunification with South Korea. He said the relationship between the countries was extremely hostile and threatened the US and South Korea with nuclear weapons if they tried to start a military confrontation.