SOUTH Korean F-16 fighter jets streaked over the island of Yeonpyeong yesterday after a North Korean artillery attack.
The assault left buildings burning and at least two soldiers dead and brought the two Koreas to flashpoint again.
As well as scrambling fighter jets, South Korean defence forces returned fire and lifted the country’s military alert to the highest non-wartime level as President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency cabinet meeting in an underground bunker.
North Korea, which accused the South of firing first, was immediately condemned by Washington and Moscow while China, the North’s only ally and chief patron, expressed concern over the exchange of fire.
The European Union also condemned the attack, and the UN Security Council prepared to meet in emergency session.
Julia Gillard condemned Pyongyang’s shelling of South Korean territory and called for restraint. The Prime Minister said the North’s actions were threatening strategic stability in North Asia.
Asian stockmarkets were sent into a spin by the violence.
North Korea’s attack yesterday left two South Korean troops dead and others with injuries. The two countries fired dozens of shells at each other.
The latest flashpoint between the countries comes just days after it was revealed North Korea had established a facility to produce highly enriched uranium in violation of UN sanctions.
Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd last night described North Korea’s artillery barrage as “exceptionally provocative” and expressed concerns for security in the region.
North Korea “represents not just a threat to stability on the Korean Peninsula but more widely across East Asia and that includes Australia”, the Foreign Minister said.
‘I think the international community will be looking towards China to apply more and more pressure to Pyongyang because the current the course of action is one of consistent provocation, and I am always concerned about conflict arising through miscalculation under these circumstances,” Mr Rudd told the ABC’s Lateline.
“This is going to require a calm hand, a cool hand and I believe the (South) Korean President Lee Myung-bak … will handle this appropriately,” Mr Rudd said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of “colossal danger” from North Korea’s actions, saying the situation risked degenerating into military action.
“This is, unfortunately, not the first incident of this kind,” Mr Lavrov said.
“This is already the third case this year but the first two were isolated exchanges of fire.
“This could degenerate into military actions. This is a colossal danger which we need to avoid with all possible means.”
The South Korean government yesterday banned the movement of small planes and boats around the island and banned its citizens from travelling into North Korea at the jointly run Kaesong industrial estate.
Reports said the North Korean attack on Yeonpyeong island, 80km west of the South Korean city of Incheon and just 12km from the North Korean coast, had left more than 50 buildings in flames. Plumes of smoke were seen rising on the island, which is home to about 1600 citizens.
“Flashes along with a thunderous sound were seen here and there across our villages and up to 10 houses were engulfed in flames,” said Woo Soo-woo, 62, a guesthouse owner on the island.
Another resident, Lee Jong-sik, told South Korea’s YTN television network: “At least 10 houses are burning. I can’t see clearly for the smoke. The hillsides are also on fire. We were told by loudspeakers to flee our homes.”
“The whole village was on fire,” another villager was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying. “I’m at the evacuation site with other villagers and I am scared to death.” Reports said all residents on the island were evacuated to bomb shelters after the barrage.
South Korea said its forces had been conducting a drill in the waters around the island when the attack had occurred. The North’s supreme military command accused the South of provoking the exchange of shelling by firing first into its territorial waters during the drill.
North Korea threatened “merciless military retaliatory strikes” if the South violated the disputed sea border by “even 0.001mm”.
The countries’ western maritime boundary has long been a flashpoint. North Korea does not recognise the border that was unilaterally drawn by the UN after the 1950-53 Korean War.
Be the first to comment