Posted on 08/20/2015 1:01:27 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
(URGENT) N. Korea fires shells at S. Korean military along western border
2015/08/20 16:54
(Excerpt) Read more at english.yonhapnews.co.kr ...
P!
Around 4 pm on Aug. 20, N. Korean military fired their antiaircraft guns into the air into the direction of S. Korea's 28th Division in the Western Front, which is stationed in Yonchon, Kyunggi Province. It is one of the units which are conducting loud-speaker broadcast into N. Korea.
Thank you for the post. Is there likely to be a response from South Korea and if so what would that response look like?
Thanks again.
IMHO,SK could respond by firing warning shots at NK.
WCBD @WCBD · 2m2 minutes ago #BREAKING: South Korea Defense Ministry says it is trading artillery fire with North Korea on their border. #NorthKorea #SouthKorea
End up like it always has. Both will stop. NK will say it fought off a invasion force from SK. Then the US will give NK more money. China and NK are happy. End of conflict.
Woe betide anyone waking up Obama over this.
N. Korean military fired a rocket on Aug. 20(, 2015.) Our military responded by firing shells in return.
According to military sources, our surveillance equipment detected that N. Korean military fired what is suspected to be a rocket shell around 3:25 PM. It is fired into the area of Joong-myun, Yonchon-gun(county.)
NK fired a rocket shell, and SK fired dozens of shells in return.
(URGENT) S. Korea orders civilian evacuation near attacked western border
Thank you for the update. Could you please add me to your Korean ping list please. Thank you.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2015/08/20/0200000000AEN20150820011151315.html
(2nd LD) Two Koreas exchange shells over western border
2015/08/20 17:59
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) — The two Koreas engaged in a brief exchange of shells over the western part of their heavily-fortified border Thursday, escalating inter-Korean tensions following the North’s recent land mine attack on the South side.
The South Korean military’s radar system detected North Korea firing a shell at a South Korean front-line military unit in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, northwest of Seoul, at 3:52 p.m., the Ministry of National Defense said.
In response, South Korea fired back dozens of 155-millimeter shells at the point where the North Korean shell was fired from, the ministry noted.
“A trajectory of supposedly North Korean military shells has been detected by (South Korea’s) detection system,” a ministry official said.
So far, no damage has been reported, the official said.
Cheong Wa Dae, South Korea’s presidential office, plans to hold an emergency session of the National Security Council to deal with the latest North Korean attack, an official said.
Right after firing at the South (on Aug. 20,) N. Korean military sent a message to S. Korean military, demanding them to dismantle loud speakers by Aug. 22.
(S. Korean) Defense Ministry revealed the content of the message. The ministry said, "Around 5 PM today, N. Korean General Staffs sent a message to (S. Korean) Defense Ministry via a (western) military hot-line."
According to the Ministry, N. Koreans said, "Cease psychological warfare broadcast against N. Korea and dismantle all (broadcast) facilities, within 48 hours starting at 5 PM today. If you don't comply, we will take military action." The deadline set by N. Koreans is 5 PM this Saturday.
Summary
N. Koreans fired two times. The first shot was fired on 3:52 PM, and the second, 4:12 PM.
They suspect that the first is 14.5mm anti-aircraft round, and the second is 76.2mm shell.
(News Focus) NK’s shelling shows its will to deter Seoul's psychological warfare: experts
2015/08/20 21:05
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) — North Korea's firing of shells across the heavily fortified inter-Korean border is a show of its will not to tolerate any flak towards the North's leader Kim Jong-un, experts said Thursday.
South Korea fired back at North Korea on Thursday following the North's firing of artillery shells targeted at loudspeakers at a South Korean front-line military unit in the western area of the heavily fortified border. No damage has been reported so far.
North Korea's provocation came as the North has vowed to retaliate against the South over Seoul's resumption of a propaganda loudspeaker campaign. Seoul's psychological warfare against the North was resumed after 11 years.
Heightened tension on a divided peninsula has been sparked by a landmine explosion on Aug. 4 near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, which is blamed on North Korea. The North has denied its role in the blasts which left two South Korean soldiers seriously injured.
The North's shelling also coincided with the timing of a joint military drill between Seoul and Washington that kicked off on Monday, which the North denounces as a war rehearsal against the North.
Experts said that the North viewed Seoul's loudspeaker campaign as an act of insulting the North's leader, adding that there is a high chance of another provocation from North Korea.
“The North's provocation means that its warning to hit loudspeakers was not an empty threat,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
“North Korea's move is an expression of its will to sternly deal with any insults against the North's leader,” he added.
The North's shelling is expected to further dampen the already-frayed inter-Korean ties amid North Korea's missile and nuclear tests, analysts said.
Even as this year marks the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, the two Koreas have failed to hold joint celebrative events. South and North Korea have not held high-level talks since February 2014.
South Korea's spy agency earlier said that the North Korean leader has tightened his grip on his power base in a brutal way, including the execution of about 70 senior officials.
Analysts said that the North's move is quite “unusual” as it has refrained from making provocations when South Korea and the U.S. raised their defense postures during their joint military exercises.
“North Korea has usually test-fired short-range missiles during the period of the Seoul-Washington military drills,” Yang said. “It is very unusual that the North fired an artillery shell.”
Kim Young-soo, a professor at Sogang University, said that the North's move indicates there is high tension within the North's military.
Experts voiced concerns that North Korea could make an additional provocation ahead of Oct. 10, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party, leaving the inter-Korean ties in dicey waters.
Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, said that tension on the peninsula will clearly rise due to a high chance that North Korea would fire a long-range missile ahead of the anniversary.
“North Korea is likely to engage in on-and-off provocation,” said Chang Yong-seok, a researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies under Seoul National University.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.