Kim Jong Un's Military Fires Over 200 Rounds Of Coastal Artillery, South Korea Issues Evacuation Orders

Kim Jong Un‘s North Korean military has initiated over 200 rounds of coastal artillery fire, prompting South Korea to issue evacuation orders for civilians on Yeonpyeong Island.

What Happened: North Korean military engaged in coastal artillery fire in a northwestern island region, Yonhap News Agency reported. The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported over 200 rounds were fired at Cape Jangsan and Cape Mountain over two hours starting at 9 a.m. (local time).

These impacts were noted north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, a maritime buffer zone established to prevent sea-based armed conflicts per the 2018 Inter-Korean Military Agreement. No damage or harm to South Korean citizens or military was reported. However, the artillery fire and maritime training in this zone is deemed a violation of the agreement.

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This act marks the first of its kind in over a year, with the previous such incident being North Korea’s shooting training in the Goseong and Geumgang areas of Gangwon-do in 2022.

South Korea commanded civilians living on Yeonpyeong Island to evacuate. The emergency evacuation orders were issued twice, first at 12:02 p.m. and then again at 12:30 p.m., in response to a call from a military unit citing a situation with North Korean provocation.

Why It Matters: The recent artillery fire comes amidst an increasingly strained relationship between North and South Korea. Earlier this year, the North Korean leader announced plans to launch three additional spy satellites in 2024, while also declaring South Korea no longer a partner for reunification.

Kim also urged his military, during a summit with high-ranking military personnel in Pyongyang on New Year's Eve, to “thoroughly annihilate” South Korea and the United States if provoked.

Meanwhile, North Korea conducted a record number of weapons tests in 2023, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and its maiden spy satellite.

Photo Via Shutterstock

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This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.