By End the Lie
U.S. artillerymen with Battery I prepare to demonstrate the fire sequence of an M777A2 155 mm lightweight howitzer for Republic of Korea (ROK) Marines at the Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex during Korean Marine Exchange Program (KMEP) 13-8 on August 17, 2013 (Image credit: Lance Cpl. Kasey Peacock/U.S. Pacific Command/Flickr)
North and South Korea have exchanged artillery fire into each other’s waters a day after North Korea raised the possibility of more nuclear tests, according to reports.
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The exchange of fire came after North Korea carried out what CNN called “provocative live-fire exercises near the South Korean maritime border.”
North Korea began the drill just after noon Monday, semiofficial South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that some ordnance fired by North Korea landed in the waters of South Korea and that they responded with fire.
The two countries fired almost 1,000 artillery shells total, with North Korea firing some 500 over more than three hours.
Some 100 of the North Korean artillery shells fell south of the water border, according to South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok.
South Korea responded by firing 300 artillery shells into the waters of North Korea, he said, according to the Associated Press.
While the firing of artillery shells can be seen as an escalation of tensions between the two countries, no shells by either side were fired at land or military installations.
Still, the spokesman said that North Korea’s actions are a provocation aimed at testing the security posture of South Korea.
In addition to firing the some 300 shells back into North Korean waters, South Korea dispatched fighter jets near the Northern Limit Line, the disputed maritime border between North Korea and South Korea.
When the defense spokesman was asked what South Korea was firing back at, he said, “We are not shooting at North Korea, just shooting into the sea.”
The North Korean exercise “appeared to be more saber-rattling from Pyongyang rather than the start of a military standoff,” according to Reuters.
This comes after North Korea said South Korea was guilty of “gangster-like” behavior for “abducting” a North Korean fishing boat.
South Korea, however, maintained tat they sent the boat back after drifting into its waters.
The actions by North Korea were criticized by the White House, who called them “dangerous and provocative.”
The White House said that North Korea’s threats and provocations are only acting to isolate it further.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment (to) the defense of our allies and remain in close coordination with both the Republic of Korea and Japan,” said White House National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Lalley, according to Reuters.
Residents of five of the front-line South Korean islands were sent to shelters during the North Korean artillery fire and the ferry service that links the islands to the mainland was stopped temporarily, according to an official with Ongjin county, which governs the islands.
No immediate comment was issued by North Korea, the AP reports.
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North and South Korea firing huge amounts of artillery across maritime border
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