On Friday, January 5th, 2024, the island of Baengnyeong in South Korea faced a critical situation. North Korea initiated a distressing event by firing numerous artillery shells into the waters off its western coast. This aggressive action led to an immediate emergency evacuation order for civilians residing on the western border island of Baengnyeong, mirroring the situation on Yeonpyeong Island. The evacuation directives were issued at 12:02 p.m. and repeated at 12:30 p.m., prompted by the South Korean military following the detection of artillery firings originating from North Korea's southwestern coastal areas, specifically from Jangsan Cape and Deungsan Cape, between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The decision to evacuate was made after a military unit reported conducting a maritime strike on Yeongpyeong Island due to the ongoing North Korean provocation. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, enabling a swift evacuation response to ensure the safety of Baengnyeong's residents. The severity of the situation caused disruptions in transportation, as a passenger ferry scheduled to depart from Incheon for Yeonpyeong at 1 p.m. was immobilized due to the evacuation order. The shells launched by North Korea fell within the maritime buffer zone north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a border established to reduce tensions between North and South Korea.

Type of Data Point - News or Reportage

S. Korea orders civilians on western border islands to evacuate over NK's artillery firing - Korea Times

Visit page of City/Town - Baengnyeong

Inserted: 06-01-2024 19:01:44