North, South Korea Exchange Fire INCHEON, South Korea – North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire Tuesday after the North shelled an island near their disputed sea border, killing at least two South Korean marines, setting dozens of buildings ablaze and sending civilians fleeing for shelter. The clash, which put South Korea's military on high alert, was one of the rivals' most dramatic confrontations since the Korean War ended, and one of the few to put civilians at risk, though no nonmilitary deaths were immediately reported. Fifteen South Korean soldiers and three civilians were injured and the extent of casualties on the northern side was unknown. The skirmish began when Pyongyang warned the South to halt military drills in the area, according to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters, albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the small island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations and a small civilian population. "I thought I would die," said Lee Chun-ok, 54, an islander who said she was watching TV in her home when the shelling began. Suddenly, a wall and door collapsed. "I was really, really terrified," she told The Associated Press after being evacuated to the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, "and I'm still terrified." South Korea responded by firing K-9 155mm self-propelled howitzers and dispatching fighter jets. Officials in Seoul said there could be considerable North Korean casualties. The entire skirmish lasted about an hour. Each side has threatened the other against another attack. The escalating tensions focused global attention on the tiny island and sent stock prices down sharply worldwide. The dollar, U.S. Treasury prices and gold all rose as investors sought safe places to park money. Hong Kong's main stock index sank 2.7 percent, while European and U.S. stock indexes fell between 1 and 2 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 165 points in afternoon trading, or 1.5 percent. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who convened an emergency security meeting shortly after the initial bombardment, said that an "indiscriminate attack on civilians can never be tolerated." "Enormous retaliation should be made to the extent that (North Korea) cannot make provocations again," he said. The United States, which has more than 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea, condemned the attack. In Washington, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called on North Korea to "halt its belligerent action," and said the U.S. is committed to South Korea's defense. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned North Korea's artillery attack, calling it "one of the gravest incidents since the end of the Korean War," his spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Ban called for "immediate restraint" and insisted "any differences should be resolved by peaceful means and dialogue," the spokesman said. The supreme military command in Pyongyang threatened more strikes if the South crossed their maritime border by "even 0.001 millimeter," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. South Korea holds military exercises like Tuesday's off the west coast about every three months. A statement from the North said it was merely "reacting to the military provocation of the puppet group with a prompt powerful physical strike," and accused Seoul of starting the skirmish with its "reckless military provocation as firing dozens of shells inside the territorial waters of the" North. Government officials in Seoul called North Korea's bombardments "inhumane atrocities" that violated the 1953 armistice halting the Korean War. The two sides technically remain at war because a peace treaty was never signed, and nearly 2 million troops — including tens of thousands from the U.S. — are positioned on both sides of the world's most heavily militarized border. The exchange represents a sharp escalation of the skirmishes that flare up along the disputed border from time to time. It also comes amid high tensions over the North's apparent progress in its quest for nuclear weapons — Pyongyang claims it has a new uranium enrichment facility — and six weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il anointed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as the heir apparent. "It brings us one step closer to the brink of war," said Peter Beck, a research fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, "because I don't think the North would seek war by intention, but war by accident, something spiraling out of control has always been my fear." Columns of thick black smoke rose from homes on the island, video from YTN cable TV showed. Screams and shouts filled the air as shells rained down on the island just south of the disputed sea border. Yeonpyeong lies a mere seven miles (11 kilometers) from — and within sight of — the North Korean mainland. China, the North's economic and political benefactor, which also maintains close commercial ties to the South, appealed to both sides to remain calm and "to do more to contribute to peace and stability on the peninsula," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said. Stephen Bosworth, the Obama administration's special envoy to North Korea, said he discussed the clash with the Chinese foreign minister and that they agreed both sides should show restraint. He reiterated that the U.S. stands firmly with its ally, South Korea. Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea and the U.S.-led U.N. Command, said in a Facebook posting that the U.S. military is "closely monitoring the situation and exchanging information with our (South Korean) allies as we always do." Yeonpyeong, famous for its crabbing industry and home to about 1,700 civilians as well as South Korean military installations. There are about 30 other small islands nearby. North Korea fired dozens of rounds of artillery in three separate barrages that began in midafternoon, while South Korea returned fire with about 80 rounds, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Naval operations had been reinforced in the area, the JCS said early Wednesday, declining to elaborate. Two South Korean marines were killed and 15 injured, it said. Island residents fled to some 20 shelters on the island and sporadic shelling ended after about an hour, according to the military. The Koreas' 1950s war ended in a truce, but North Korea does not recognize the western maritime border drawn unilaterally by the United Nations at the close of the conflict, and the Koreas have fought three bloody skirmishes there in recent years. South Korea holds military exercises like Tuesday's off the west coast about every three months. In March, a South Korean warship went down in the waters while on a routine patrolling mission. Forty-six sailors were killed in what South Korea calls the worst military attack on the country since the war. Seoul blamed a North Korean torpedo, but Pyongyang denied responsibility. Source --- WWIII here we goooooooo!!!!!!
NO .. it's time for the US to act and if we do act, it's best to kill it with one shot rather than letting them have a chance to fight back .. The only reason why NK is so bold and provoking despite US siding w/ SK is due to China's backing. If NK has no support from China, it's nothing with all the sanctions. Frankly, it's like a war between China and US .. who's more powerful without outright going to war ... damn to think of NK and SK are chess pieces of China and US .. saddd AGAIN, US is not acting .. talking .. lollll .. so much for the interest of SK .. lolll we can't afford it ... start another war.
omg if kim jong il hands over his powers then a 26 immature muhfucker willl be ruling north korea and starting beef with everyone else
You seem like some bored sensationalist. I guess you are, since you're so keen on nuking the Korean people up north. Seoul is well within North Korea's firing range, so is this war something the USA needs to rush into without thought? It will have dire consequences for the safety of innocent people in South Korea. It's important for China to bring all of its influence to bear on North Korea. Beijing is rather neutral in this diplomatic matter and the six-party-talks. There's international pressure for China to take a harder stance over this impossible neutrality; the shift is not apperent and very slow. Yet they are still the only ones that has some political influence over the DPRK; It doesn't mean that China is backing them up. Beijing has quite an important role to calm down the tense situation. It's not something for them to throw away, seeing as no real actions will happen... once again.
you're funny ... there are always casualties in a war .. there's nothing surprising about it. if you even follow the news, US has been trying to do peace talk for years now but NK just won't comply. SK has too been trying all out effort to reunite with bro/sis up North (even reached out w/ the sunshine policy) and talk about reunification. frankly, NK is a freaking small country and can't do any mass damages with ill and poor totalitarian regime without the support of CHINA. China is anything BUT neutral about this. with the mounting pressure from the US (most outspoken) and others foreign countries regarding its economic policies .. it's time to divert the attention. China knows well that US can't afford to start another war when their hands are tied with the mid-east but enough to get US off their back for a short while. yeah .. it's not related per se but things are actually connected ... it's politics after all. with the continuing provoking behavior of the north, it's time US gotta do something which we're not sadly. like Ralph's post earlier, it's a SLAP alright .. again and again.
Am I evil to say that I want to see NK and SK fight it out with one another, just a 1 vs 1 and not involving other countries, so we can end this BS. I know that's not going to happen, US won't allow it and it's just not that simple...
Not trying to be funny, don't see how. Nevertheless I do follow the news (doesn't say much). China's economic policies is not related indeed. I'm not even against the possibility of war, I'd like to see his Kim Jong-il's regime wiped out of this planet. Yes, I think China is neutral in its stance. They aren't arming them, sending technology or funding their military. Stating that China "backs the North" is going over my head and it's rather dumbfounded to hear. So should they let China throw away their political influence and drive NK desperately and dangerously in a corner? It seems to me that Beijng's hands are bound until the international community is prepared to take action. While that hasn't happened, China is left with diffusing it and preventing worse from desperate DPRK (which isn't backing them up). Thus China can't outright condemn them, but has to be discrete in their support against North Korean actions.
Better than the older brother who doesn't even want to take the responsibility of being a leader. Not that he would be any better. Fucking guy tried getting into Japan with a bad passport to go to Tokyo Disneyland... I hope nothing bad comes from this bombing. Shit will only get worse... don't want another war to start.
He's living in macau now..but i think hes against North Korea being the leader will mean you have to be one evil human being who is heartless and ya..................the young one will thihnk he is king
Everything is related underneath ... again, China is not neutral. If stating that China backs the North went over your head, then that's you. Perhaps you should read up on it. If you know Chinese or deal with Chinese in businesses (even up to this day), then you would know that whatever they say is all for the SHOW .. opera show .. almost like the rhetoric US (except we can exercises our right to protest and remove gov official unlike Chinese citizens).
I've explained my process of thought. You just say that "[it's] just [me]", "[I'm] funny" or that " should read up on it". Quite fitting arguments... or rather inane remarks, but ok. The claim of "China backing the DPRK" makes no sense just because China is relunctant to be very outspoken about the North Korean actions. It doesn't take much to drive North Korea's Kim Jong-il mad and worsen the situation. If China's economic policies are related underneath, than it seems to me that China values a whole lot more about their economic relations and the stability on the nearby pennisula than relations with the unreliable DPRK. China's strategic economic interests lies with South Korea, Japan and the United States, not North Korea. Is this a show too? No. The DPRK nuclear testing and consequently the last few conflicts had also put China on its edge. North Korea is viewed too erratic, even in Beijing. The only thing China is not neutral about is heavy US military presence after a possible collapse of the DPRK. With this new generation of CCP leadership... There is a further shift towards the ROK goverment of South Korea. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-cables-china-reunified-korea
China also bought a lot of the US debts so of course, the long term econ interest is in the developed regions. However, that doesn't mean China's neutral about NK. The relationship between China and NK has been like "I scratch your back and you scratch mine" sorta speak .. of course, NK is really just another China's chess piece (puppet and puppet master rel) and when time comes, China can just kick NK to the side without hesitation (power struggle with KJ dead) .. again, that doesn't mean China's neutral. It only acts to its best interest. NK has no real option because without China's support, the country can't even afford to get resources to develop nuclear weapon (gets the world attention w/ WMD alright). NK is like a mouse without the WMD. Why China is asked to host the peace talk each time? Cuz NK only listens to China and its set-up. Anyway, the bottom line is that whatever China and NK do, it's just a show to divert attention from the political realm (huge pressure on the currency issue). What said in media or in writing means nothing really .. also, China doesn't want heavy US's presence in the area too (already JP and ROK) so w/o NK .. hmmm .. not good so yeah .. China being neutral? NO.
We now know the worlds most powerful guy is probably an Australia website founder now. Monday's Wikileaks were just the tip of the iceberg, and they are capitalizing on taking a stranglehold on the world's political and financial powers. Now they threaten to shut down US banks. I'm going off topic, and I think something bigger than the Korean crisis is at hand.
