North Korea fires artillery shells towards South Korean islands

North Korea tied up the firing of artillery shells near the controversial sea boundary off South Korea's western coast on Friday. In response, South Korea conducted its own live-fire drills, further heightening the already tense relations between the two neighboring countries.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that around 200 rounds were fired towards the Northern Limit Line, but fortunately, no damages or injuries were reported on the South Korean side. 

According to the report, the artillery firings from Jangsan Cape and Deungsan Cape in the southwestern coastal areas of North Korea were detected from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. local time. An evacuation order was issued for the nearby Yeonpyeong Island, although it is unclear if it was directly linked to the firing incident. 

The village affected by the sea firing was informed by the South Korean military about the incident that occurred near the border. This led to residents of Baengnyeong island, located west of Yeonpyeong and near the sea border, being directed to evacuate according to a village official.

Since the 1990s, Pyongyang has disputed the NLL, which was established at the end of the Korean War in 1950-53, by arguing that it should be positioned further south.

It is worth issues that in 2010, North Korean bombardment caused the deaths of four South Koreans on the same island. This occurrence follows the recently ended joint naval drill conducted by South Korea and the United States. 

The recent front-line maritime firing by North Korea was the first of its kind in nearly a year, with the last occurrence taking place in December 2022, off the eastern coast of the peninsula.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) condemned this action as an "act of provocation." They expressed concern about the impact on peace in the peninsula, especially considering North Korea's unilateral decision to abandon a 2018 military agreement last year. This agreement was intended to reduce tensions along the front-line.

According to the fragile 2018 agreement, both North and South Korea were supposed to cease live-fire exercises and aerial surveillance in the no-fly and buffer zones along their border.

However, tensions have escalated since North Korea launched a spy satellite in November. In response, South Korea reinstated aerial surveillance, and in turn, North Korea reinstated the previously dismantled front-line guard posts. 

Seoul, in close coordination with the United States, is currently monitoring and tracking the situation, and will take appropriate actions in response to North Korea's provocations. The JCS has urged North Korea to cease these provocations.