The South Korean Defense Ministry said in a press release that the South Korean Marines responded by conducting live fire exercises in the afternoon in the Yellow Sea.
Yeonpyeong, located less than 10 miles from the North Korean coast, was the site of a deadly North Korean surprise attack in 2010, when Pyongyang fired dozens of missiles. Four people were killed, including two South Korean Marines serving on the island.
Colonel Lee Sung-joon, spokesman for the South Korean Armed Forces, called on North Korea to “immediately stop” actions that raise tensions, and read aloud a prepared statement.
An official at the district office said that hundreds of civilians living in Yeonpyeong had entered shelters. A total of 2,100 people live there, including family members of Marines assigned to garrison the island, the official said. Baengnyeong population of 4,800 A South Korean official there said they had been ordered to enter shelters.
The shelter-in-place orders were lifted at 3:45 p.m. local time, the two officials said.
Lee said this development reflects North Korea's goal of raising regional tensions. He added, “Responsibility for this escalating state of tension lies entirely with North Korea.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has consistently pledged to continue modernizing his nuclear arsenal and military since coming to power more than a decade ago. In a statement published by state media late last year, Kim said his soldiers would accelerate efforts to “subjugate the entire territory of the South in the event of war,” using “all material means” including nuclear weapons.
A South Korean Army brigade conducted days of training this week with elements of the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division, according to state broadcaster KBS. The US military maintains 28,500 troops in the South, primarily to deter North Korea, and conducts routine exercises and field exercises with South Korean soldiers. North Korea regularly denounces these exercises.
