Officials on South Korea’s Yeongpeyong island, located opposite North Korea, announced today evacuation orders for residents This incident took place on the orders of the military, Yonha agency reported, citing “North Korean provocations”.
The island, with a population of approximately 1,700, is located in the Yellow Sea, approximately 115 kilometers west of Seoul. Just 10 miles off the coast of North KoreaIt is located on the disputed western sea border between both countries and bombed by Pyongyang in November In 2010, it claimed the lives of two neighbors and two South Korean soldiers.
Sources from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSA) consulted by EFE did not confirm the information at this time, but an official from the Yeongpyeong City Council quoted by Yonhap assured that two evacuation broadcasts were made at 12:02 and 12:02:02: 30 local time (3:02 and 3:30 GMT) by order. The official stated that the army mentioned the need for a “naval operation” around the island due to “North Korean provocations”.
On November 23, 2010, some live fire maneuvers carried out by the South Korean navy around the island were responded to. Dozens of artillery shells were fired from the North Korean coast towards Yeonpyeong. Many buildings were destroyed in the incident, and in addition to the four deaths mentioned, 18 people were injured.
Yeonpyeong lies in front of the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea (called the West Sea in the two Koreas), drawn by the United Nations to prevent new conflicts after the signing of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War. War in 1953 was rejected, however, by North Korea, which argued that the division should be further south.
artillery fire
The South Korean Army announced today that it issued an evacuation order because Pyongyang fired nearly 200 artillery shells in nearby areas that ultimately do not harm the population.
“The North Korean military fired more than 200 shells in the Jangsan Cape area, north of Baengnyeong Island, between 09:00 and 11:00 (0:00 and 2:00 GMT) today, Friday, January 5, and the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) ) said in a statement sent to the media that Cape Sanseong was located north of Yeonpyeong Island. “No harm was caused to civilians or military, and the impact point is located north of NLL,” the text reads.