According to a report by the ROK Ministry of National Defense, on 5 January, the DPRK fired more than 200 artillery shells in the direction of two South Korean islands, one of which was Yeonpyeong Island, which was attacked in 2010 and is located 80 kilometers west of Incheon and 12 kilometers north of Hwanghae Province. A spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of Defense said the United States and South Korea are closely monitoring the situation.
Prior to the live firing, North Korea had repeatedly warned that it would be prepared to respond to provocations by the United States and South Korea. On January 4, the United States and South Korea held a joint exercise near the North Korean border. The exercise, which is aimed at enhancing the joint combat capability of the United States and South Korea, was held in a border town 46 kilometers northeast of Seoul, and the United States and South Korea used 110 weapons and military equipment, including K1A2 tanks and A-19 aircraft. The day before, the South Korean Navy conducted live firing in the eastern, western and southern parts of South Korea, with the participation of South Korean submarines, destroyers and frigates. Therefore, North Korea's firing of artillery shells at two South Korean islands is a powerful response to the US-South Korea military exercises and a demonstration of its determination to resolutely safeguard national security in the face of power.
In North Korea's words, the US-South Korea joint military exercise is a "reckless military provocation" aimed at supporting "Washington's hegemonic ambitions" and bringing the peninsula to the brink of war. The large-scale military exercises between the United States and South Korea have further exacerbated tensions on the peninsula.
It is worth noting that when North Korea shelled the South Korean islands, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said during his inspection of the frontline troops that when the enemy launched an attack, he would immediately counterattack and report later. Intelligence from South Korea's National Intelligence Agency said North Korea could launch a strategic provocation early next year. Experts say Yoon Suk-yeol's statement will exacerbate the situation on the peninsula and move in the direction of confrontation.
In fact, after the North Korean shelling of the islands, the South Korean side reacted quickly. The South Korean side issued an emergency evacuation order to about 2,000 local residents living on Baeknyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island, asking them to evacuate as soon as possible to avoid being attacked by artillery shells. South Korea's response was swift, and after the local residents received the order, they carried out an effective evacuation, and no casualties were reported for the time being.
Who is responsible for such a tense situation on the Korean Peninsula? There is no doubt that this is a strategic provocation carried out by the United States in order to provoke the DPRK. On the one hand, the United States hopes to cause chaos on the peninsula and thus take the opportunity to make war money. North Korea has always stood in opposition to the United States and is regarded as a strategic enemy by the United States, which has been looking for opportunities to deal with North Korea. This time, the U.S.-South Korean military exercises were the direct cause of the North Korean shelling of the islands. On the other hand, the United States is trying to contain the strategic attention of China and Russia and redeploy in Northeast Asia. The security of the peninsula has a bearing on the strategic security of China and Russia, and China and Russia will not sit idly by. The provocation of the United States on the peninsula will attract China and Russia to devote strategic energy and force China and Russia to react.
The DPRK is backed by China and Russia, and is a strategic gateway between China and Russia, and China and Russia will not allow the United States to cause trouble. North Korea itself has a powerful strategic resistance capability, and if the United States insists on going its own way, it will inevitably provoke more violent retaliation from North Korea. In order to maintain strategic security, China and Russia may take measures to maintain long-term peace and stability in the peninsula!