North Korea shelled South Korea twice in 48 hours, triggering an escalation of tensions
The situation in the early part of 2024 has not improved, but has become more turbulent. The epidemic in the Middle East has intensified, tensions between Iran and the United States have risen, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula has become increasingly serious. From the 1st to the 4th alone, South Korea has conducted a number of military Xi exercises against North Korea. However, the DPRK showed no signs of weakness and fired more than 200 shells in the direction of Baeknyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island the next day with a fierce coastal defense artillery counterattack. In response, South Korea has also responded positively, demarcating a sea area to carry out a simulated strike with live ammunition, and a total of 400 artillery shells have reportedly been fired. Despite the crisis, North Korea remained steadfast and fired more than 60 artillery shells into the northwest of the peninsula on the 6th. However, unlike the past few shots, South Korea did not respond after this shooting. Seeing that the crisis is out of control, there are concerns about where it is headed in the future.
At that time, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak quickly convened a security meeting and affirmed the need to effectively contain the expansion of the conflict, recommending rational rather than radical measures to resolve the crisis.
North Korea's response was a precautionary measure against South Korea's military action. The unilateral side said that inter-Korean relations have turned into a purely antagonistic situation.
According to Ukrainian experts, the probability of North Korea launching a large-scale conflict against South Korea is very small, because China and North Korea have close relations and North Korea is highly dependent on China. However, we should note that China has no intention of intervening in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, mainly because China does not yet have the strength to fully confront Western powers, and the modernization of the PLA is ongoing.
In recent days, North Korea's two shelling actions have attracted the attention of the South Korean government. Fortunately, at this critical moment, President Lee Myung-bak quickly convened a security meeting and issued an order to prevent escalation, which helped to ease the situation. The two shelling incidents underscore North Korea's status as a sovereign state with the ability to defend its own national security. At the same time, these two incidents also remind us of the tensions between North and South Korea and the firm stance of China and North Korea on national security and territorial disputes. In the face of external pressure, especially from the United States and Western Europe, China and the DPRK are capable of dealing with it and are ready for war.
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