South Korea orders island residents to seek shelter after North Korea's "provocation"

A South Korean spokesman speaks after the North Korean shooting on January 5, 2024 – Photograph: Reuters

South Korea issued an alert ordering residents of two islands They were seeking shelter after an “apparent provocation” by North Korea. The state-run Yonhap News Agency published this warning on Friday (5).

The South Korean military said that North Korea fired more than 200 shells that fell into the waters north of the Northern Border Line, which represents the maritime border between the two Koreas.

Emergency warnings were sent to the islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, which are close to the specified line.

Two emergency orders were issued to residents of Yeonpyeong at approximately 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM local time (0:00 and 0:30 Brasilia time).

An official told Yonhap: “We announced the evacuation after receiving a call from a military unit stating that it was carrying out a naval attack on Yeongpyeong Island due to a provocative stance on the part of North Korea.”

South Korea said Friday's shooting raised tensions in the region. As of the last update of this report, North Korea had not commented.

A spokesman for the South Korean Armed Forces said: “This is a provocative act that increases tensions and threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

In 2014, the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire at sea, after North Korean projectiles fell into South Korean waters, and the island's residents were transferred to a shelter.