As North Korea fires 200 artillery rounds across the border, South Korea Evacuates islands

A fresh wave of tension over their disputed maritime border resulted in an exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea on Friday. CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>

North Korea fired more than 200 rounds close to the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a de facto maritime border that the North does not acknowledge, according to Reuters. In response, South Korea conducted live fire exercises south of the NLL using tanks and mechanized artillery.

Residents of two isolated South Korean islands on the western sea border were evacuated as a result of the incident. The military of the South gave them instructions to seek refuge in bomb bunkers. There were no reports of military or civilian casualties in the South.

North Korea claimed that its firing drills were a “natural response” to South Korea’s “military gangsters” who had conducted provocative actions in recent days. It also warned of an “unprecedented strong response” if Seoul continued to challenge its sovereignty.

South Korea’s Defence Minister Shin Won-sik condemned the North’s action as an act of provocation that threatened peace on the Korean peninsula. He said he supervised the South’s firing drills to demonstrate “overwhelming operational response”.

A South Korean military spokesman Lee Sung-joon said the South Korean military, with the cooperation of the U.S. military, has been monitoring the North’s movements along its coast. CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>