North Korea escalates military tensions with 60+ artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island

North Korea fired over 60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, following live-fire drills conducted by both sides near the contested maritime border.

This comes a day after North Korea launched more than 200 rounds of artillery shells near Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, prompting the evacuation of residents to shelters.

The artillery rounds from North Korea landed in a buffer zone established under a 2018 tension-reducing deal, which fell apart in November after the North launched a spy satellite.

Seoul’s military expressed concern, stating that the repeated artillery fire poses a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and escalates tensions.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff vowed that the South Korean military would take appropriate measures in response.

Despite the military provocations, North Korea claimed that its live-fire drills had no “indirect effect” on the border islands.

Yeonpyeong, with 2,000 residents, and Baengnyeong, with 4,900 residents, experienced a partial suspension of the 2018 military accord in November after North Korea’s satellite launch, leading to the complete scrapping of the deal.

As tensions rise, experts urge Seoul to explore diplomatic solutions, including collaboration with China, North Korea’s major ally. Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, warned against a tit-for-tat strategy, emphasizing the potential consequences for both Koreas.

The situation echoes the 2010 incident when North Korea bombarded Yeonpyeong Island in response to a South Korean live-fire drill, resulting in casualties and a brief fear of a full-fledged war.

With relations at a decades-low point, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has solidified the country’s nuclear status, raising concerns about the potential for conflict.

In recent developments, Kim has called for an increased production of missile launchers, coinciding with accusations from the White House that North Korea provided ballistic missiles to Russia for use in attacks on Ukraine.

The two Koreas, technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, face heightened tensions with a heavily fortified border and a contested maritime boundary that has never been officially delineated.