North Korea Fires 200 Artillery Rounds Toward South Korea, Seoul Evacuates Island

South Korea has ordered the evacuation of civilians of Yeonpyeong Island which borders North Korea.

PYONGYANG - North Korea fired over 200 artillery rounds into waters off its eastern coast on Friday morning which crossed into the shared maritime buffer zone with South Korea one day after South Korea and the United States carried out joint live-fire drills near the border with the North.

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The artillery shells it fired crossed into the maritime buffer zone created during an accord signed on September 19th, 2018 to reduce border tensions. The buffer zone is located north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said, “We gravely warn that the entire responsibility of such crisis-escalating situations lies with North Korea and strongly urge for its immediate halt”.

He added, “Under close coordination between South Korea and the United States, our military is tracking and monitoring related activity, and will conduct corresponding measures to North Korea's provocations”.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Released The Following Statement:

• The North Korean military fired more than 200 rounds from around 09:00 to 11:00 today (Friday, January 5) in the area of Cape Jangsan, north of Baengnyeong Island, and Cape Mountain, north of Yeonpyeong Island.

• There is no damage to our people or military as a result, and the point of impact is the northern area of the NLL.

• This is a provocation that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula and increases tensions by resuming artillery fire within the West Sea buffer zone after North Korea unilaterally insisted on breaking the September 19 military agreement on November 23, 2023.

• We sternly warn that North Korea is solely responsible for this escalating crisis, and strongly urge it to stop immediately.

• Our military is tracking and monitoring related trends under close cooperation between South Korea and the United States, and will take appropriate measures in response to North Korea's provocations. //End//

South Korea Ordered Evacuations Of The Civilians On Yeonpyeong Island