North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells into the maritime buffer zone

(CNN) — South Korea’s military condemned its northern neighbor on Friday after Pyongyang fired artillery shells that fell inside the maritime buffer zone, which has long been a point of confrontation between the two.

North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells off its western coast near the South Korean islands of Byngnyeong and Yeonpyeong between 9 and 11 a.m. (local time) on Friday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The JCS said the artillery fell in the buffer zone north of the northern demarcation line and caused no harm to the South Korean population or military.

The artillery fell north of the Northern Demarcation Line, a disputed de facto border drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Korean War in 1953.

The JCS said the artillery did not harm any civilians or soldiers, calling the incident a “provocative act that threatens peace and escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”

In response, the South Korean military said it would hold its own maritime firing drills on Friday afternoon, and Yeonpyeong residents were ordered to evacuate to nearby shelters and “refrain from outdoor activities” during that time. official website. A local resident told CNN he received the same signal via text message.

Photos from the island showed people gathered near designated shelters, some sitting inside and others lounging outside.

According to its local office website, more than 2,100 people live on Yeonpyeong, a small island of just 8 square km. Baengnyeong Island, approximately 47 square km, has more than 4,900 residents.

North Korea shelling the maritime buffer zone is not unheard of, but such actions increase tensions.

The JCS said the nation resumed artillery firing inside the buffer zone after canceling the inter-Korean military agreement last November. In late 2022 also several rounds of firing were done in the same area.

The JCS said the nation resumed artillery firing inside the buffer zone after canceling the inter-Korean military agreement last November. In late 2022 also several rounds of firing were done in the same area.

The military agreement was signed in 2018 as part of efforts with the United States to prevent the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula and expand the buffer zone between the two Koreas.

But relations have since deteriorated: Seoul withdrew from the accord and both sides have increased military exercises and weapons testing.

The JCS announced Friday that South Korean armed forces are now cooperating with the United States to monitor the parties’ activities and will take “consistent measures against North Korea’s provocations.”

a disputed de facto border

The Northern Limit Line runs three nautical miles off the North Korean coast and places five offshore islands under South Korean control.

North Korea has proposed a different line that would extend southwest across the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two countries into the Yellow Sea, rather than along the North Korean coast.

Yeonpyeong Island is located off the northwest coast of South Korea, next to the border with its northern neighbor, and has been a point of conflict between the two sides for years.

In November 2010, following South Korean coastal military maneuvers, Pyongyang attacked the island, killing two marines and two civilians. This resulted in the entire island being evacuated and the South Korean military retaliating.

The clash was one of the worst outbreaks of violence in years. At the time, the UN Secretary-General called the North Korean attack “one of the most serious incidents since the end of the Korean War.”

Technically, the war never officially ended; An armistice ended hostilities in 1953, but there was never a peace treaty. Although diplomats from Seoul and Washington have discussed an agreement to end the war in recent years, those efforts have failed as tensions have once again risen on the Korean Peninsula, particularly over Pyongyang’s weapons development programs and On intensifying its missile tests.

On Sunday, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that the country’s leader Kim Jong Un had announced that the state will no longer seek reconciliation and reunification with South Korea.

According to KCNA report, Kim said that inter-Korean relations have become “the relationship between two enemy countries and two countries at war.” He reportedly said that if the US and South Korea attempt a military confrontation with the North, their “nuclear war deterrence will not hesitate to take serious measures.”