1 of 1 Photo taken on January 6, 2024 shows a television screen at a train station in Seoul, South Korea, showing archival footage of a North Korean military exercise during a local news broadcast. Photo: Ahn Youngjoon/AP Photo taken on Jan. 6, 2024 shows a television screen at a train station in Seoul, South Korea, showing archival footage of a North Korean military exercise during a local news broadcast. — Photo: Ahn Youngjoon/AP
The North Korean army fired more than 60 projectiles near the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong this Saturday (6), the Seoul Armed Forces reported.
“The North Korean military fired more than 60 projectiles from the northwestern area of Yeonpyeong Island today [sextafeira, 5 de janeiro]between 4 and 5 p.m [4h e 5h deste sábado, 6 de janeiro, no horário de Brasília]”South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, warning North Korea to stop its actions.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of civilians as a “preventive measure” and ferries were suspended due to the military escalation, one of the most serious on the Korean peninsula since 2010, when the North bombed Yeonpyeong.
On both Friday and Saturday, North Korean projectiles landed in a maritime buffer zone created under a 2018 détente deal that collapsed in November after North Korea launched a spy satellite.
The South Korean army said on Saturday that there had been “repeated artillery fire.” […] “pose a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and an escalation of tensions.”
The armed forces issued a “strong warning” and called on Pyongyang to stop their actions.
“North Korea continues to threaten our citizens with continuous artillery fire in the zone where hostile actions are prohibited following its declaration of abrogation of the 'September 19 Military Agreement,'” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. “In response, our Army will take appropriate action to protect our nation.”
Yeonpyeong has a population of about 2,000 and is located on the Yellow Sea, about 115 km west of Seoul and 12 km south of the coast of Hwanghae Province, North Korea.