North Korea Launches 200 Artillery Shells into Maritime Buffer Zone, Confirms South Korea
North Korea launches over 200 artillery rounds into maritime buffer zone near South Korea's islands, intensifying tensions at the flashpoint border
The South Korean military criticized North Korea on Friday for firing artillery rounds that landed in a maritime buffer zone that has caused tension between the two countries. North Korea fired over 200 rounds between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. near South Korea's Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands off its west coast, as reported by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The artillery landed north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a disputed border established by the United Nations after the Korean War in 1953. The JCS stated that the artillery did not cause any harm to civilians or the military, and condemned the incident as a "provocative act that undermines peace and increases tension on the Korean Peninsula."
North Korea has a history of firing shells into the maritime buffer zone, which has led to heightened tensions. The country resumed this action after canceling an inter-Korean military agreement in November, with multiple rounds being fired in the same area in late 2022, according to the JCS.
In 2018, a military agreement was signed between South Korea and the United States in an effort to reduce the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula and expand the buffer zone between the two Koreas. However, relations have since soured, leading to Seoul withdrawing from the agreement and both sides increasing military exercises and weapon tests.
The South Korean military is now working with the US to track related movements, and will take "actions corresponding to North Koreas provocation," the JCS said Friday.
Flashpoint maritime border
The Northern Limit Line is situated 3 nautical miles from the North Korean coastline, and places five islands near the coast under South Korean control.
North Korea has suggested an alternative line that would essentially extend the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two nations southwest into the Yellow Sea, rather than closely following North Korea's shoreline.
Yeonpyeong Island is situated off the northwest coast of South Korea, near the border with North Korea, and has previously been the site of conflict between the two nations.
In November 2010, an attack by Pyongyang resulted in the deaths of two marines and two civilians on the island. Additionally, 15 South Korean soldiers and three civilians were injured in the attack. In response, there was a widespread evacuation of the island, and South Korean forces retaliated with gunfire.
The North accused the South of provoking the attack by holding an artillery drill near Yeonpyeong. The shelling of the island occurred six months after North Korea attacked a South Korean Navy corvette during joint US-South Korea naval exercises, resulting in the deaths of 46 out of 104 sailors. North Korea denied responsibility for the sinking, but a Seoul-led international investigation team determined that a torpedo fired by a North Korean midget submarine was the cause.
The 2010 clash marked one of the most severe outbursts of violence in years. At the time, the Secretary General of the United Nations referred to North Korea's attack as "one of the most serious incidents since the end of the Korean War."
The war has never officially ended; a ceasefire in 1953 brought an end to hostilities, but a peace treaty has never been signed.
In recent years, diplomats in Seoul and Washington have explored the possibility of ending the war, but these efforts have stalled in light of rising tensions in the Korean Peninsula. These tensions have escalated particularly with Pyongyang's increased weapons development program and missile testing.
Over the weekend, North Korean state-run news agency KCNA announced that the nation's leader, Kim Jong Un, declared that North Korea will no longer pursue reconciliation and reunification with South Korea.
According to the KCNA report, Kim characterized inter-Korean relations as a connection between two adversarial nations and combatants at war. He stated that in the event of a military confrontation with the US and South Korea, North Korea's "nuclear war deterrent" would not hesitate to take significant action.
