North Korean shells hit the maritime buffer zone north of the northern limit line, the de facto maritime border.
In South Korea 5 January ordered the evacuation of civilians to shelters on the western border island of Yongpyeong amid clear signs of military provocation by North Korea.
This was reported by the Yonhap publication with reference to statements by officials on January 5.
The emergency evacuation order came at 12:02 (local time) and again at 12:30 at the request of the South Korean military.
Note, that the DPRK army fired 200 artillery shells towards Enphendo Island and the western coast of the Korean Peninsula.
“We announced the evacuation after receiving a call from a military unit saying they were launching a naval strike on Yeonpyeong Island because has a situation of provoking North Korea,” said a South Korean official.
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The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that during 9:00-11:00 it observed artillery attacks from Cape Gangsan (north of northern Pengnyon Island in South Korea), and Cape Dongsan (north of the western border Yongpen Islands).
North Korean shells hit the maritime buffer zone north of the northern limit line, the de facto maritime border.
The buffer zone was established in accordance with the inter-Korean military agreement signed on September 19, 2018 to reduce tensions along the border. North Korea unilaterally terminated the agreement in November 2023 after Seoul partially suspended the agreement to protest Pyongyang's successful launch of a military spy satellite.
Recall that at the end of December, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his army, munitions industry and nuclear weapons sector to speed up preparations for war.
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