Seoul: South Korea yesterday fired dozens of shells into North Korea after detecting a rocket fired across the heavily-militarised border, pushing already elevated cross-border tensions to dangerously high levels. Direct exchanges of fire across the inter-Korean land border are extremely rare, mainly, analysts say, because both sides recognise the risk for a sudden and potentially disastrous escalation between two countries that technically remain at war.
Yesterday’s incident came amid heightened tensions following mine blasts that maimed two members of a South Korean border patrol earlier this month and the launch this week of a major South Korea-US military exercise. A defence ministry spokesman said South Korea had detected a rocket fired from the North Korean side across a western section of the border shortly before 4pm.
“It landed on our side, but struck no military target,” the spokesman said. South Korean military units retaliated by launching “dozens of rounds of 155mm shells” targeting the rocket launch site, the ministry said in a statement.
“We have strengthened our military readiness and are closely watching movements of the North’s military,” it added.
The spokesman said South Korean troops had been placed on highest-level alert, while President Park Geun-Hye called and chaired an emergency meeting of her National Security Council.
A local government official in Yeoncheon county, some 60km north of Seoul, said that residents of several border villages had been ordered to evacuate their homes for nearby shelters.
Dan Pinkston, Korea expert at the International Crisis Group in Seoul, said “It is more likely a show of displeasure by the North.”
The North denied any role and threatened “indiscriminate” shelling of the loudspeaker units unless they halted their broadcasts immediately. It also threatened retaliatory strikes after Seoul and Washington refused to call off their annual Ulchi Freedom military drill, which kicked off last Monday.
The last direct attack on the South was in November 2010 when North Korea shelled the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, killing two civilians and two soldiers.
On that occasion, South Korea responded by shelling North Korean positions, triggering brief fears of a full-scale conflict.
AFP
