The Blubber

North Korea has launched over 200 rounds of artillery shells off its western coast, directed towards South Korea's Yeonpyeong island, as confirmed by Seoul's military. Following the incident, South Korea issued an evacuation warning to civilians on the island, though they did not explicitly link the two events. Describing North Korea's actions as a "provocative act,"

South Korea condemned the move. The artillery barrage occurred between 09:00 and 11:00 local time, with all shells landing in the buffer zone between the two countries and not entering South Korean territory. While the incident caused no damage, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized that it posed a threat to peace on the Korean peninsula and heightened tensions.

This comes amid strained relations between the two Koreas after North Korea suspended a military deal with the South, vowing to bolster its armed forces in the border region. The recent artillery firing follows multiple violations of the pact by North Korea, including missile launches and artillery rounds fired towards the South. Yeonpyeong island, with a military base and a small civilian population, has been a site of inter-Korean naval clashes over the years.