North Korea has fired artillery shells near the western sea border
with South Korea for the third day in a row, despite Seoul’s calls for
an immediate halt to such military provocations. The North’s
shelling, which began on Friday, has raised tensions in the region
and violated the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.
According to a South Korean military source, the North fired shells
north of Yeonpyeong Island, a front-line island in the West Sea, at
around 4 p.m. on Sunday. No shells landed south of the Northern
Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, and no casualties were
reported on the South Korean side. The South Korean military did
not respond with counter-fire, but maintained a high level of
alertness.
The North’s shelling came after it fired about 200 shells on Friday
and 60 shells on Saturday from its coastal artillery bases
northwest of Yeonpyeong Island. Some of the shells landed in the
waters north of the NLL and within the designated buffer zones,
which were agreed upon by the two Koreas in 2018 to prevent
accidental clashes.The South Korean government has strongly condemned the
North’s shelling as a violation of the military agreement and a
threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. It has urged
the North to stop its hostile acts and return to dialogue.
The North’s shelling is seen as a way of expressing its
dissatisfaction with the stalled inter-Korean relations and the
ongoing sanctions imposed by the international community over
its nuclear and missile programs. It is also seen as a way of
diverting public attention from its internal woes, such as the
economic difficulties.
The South Korean government has said that it remains committed
to improving ties with the North and resolving the nuclear issue
through dialogue and cooperation. However, it has also made it
clear that it will not tolerate any military provocations that
endanger the lives and safety of its people.
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