On Friday, January 5th, 2024, the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong experienced a significant event. North Korea launched a barrage of around 200 artillery shells into the waters off its western coast. This action prompted an immediate emergency evacuation order for civilians on Yeonpyeong and neighboring Baengnyeong islands. The artillery firing, detected between 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., originated from North Korea's southwestern coastal areas, targeting the maritime buffer zone north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea. Despite this provocative act, there were fortunately no reported damages to South Korean citizens or the military, nor were there any reported human losses resulting from North Korea's firing. The South Korean military swiftly responded to the situation, labeling North Korea's actions as highly provocative. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) condemned North Korea's move and emphasized the responsibility for the escalating crisis lay entirely with North Korea. They called for an immediate halt to such actions. At 12:02 p.m. and later at 12:30 p.m., an emergency evacuation order was issued for Yeonpyeong at the request of the South Korean military, ensuring the safety of civilians in shelters. A similar alert was also issued for the neighboring island of Baengnyeong around the same time. The escalation prompted the cancellation of a passenger ferry scheduled to depart from Incheon for Yeonpyeong at 1 p.m. due to the evacuation order. In response to North Korea's provocation, the South Korean Marines stationed on Yeonpyeong conducted live-fire artillery drills in the afternoon, utilizing K9 self-propelled howitzers. This marked the first time such exercises had taken place on the northwestern border islands since the signing of the 2018 inter-Korean military accord, intended to ease tensions across the border. Despite the tension and evacuation measures, there were no reported casualties from the North Korean firing. The shells landed within the established buffer zone, which had been created 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 - Yeonpyeong-do

Inserted: 06-01-2024 19:01:48