South Korea’s artillery exercise gives rise to new threat from North Korea

South Korean soldiers, positioned on Yeonpyeong island, carried out a drill on Monday which lasted an hour and a half. Live shells were fired into the sea away from the neighboring North Korea. Early reports suggest South Korean fighter jets were circling the area.

North Korea have so far not reacted to the military exercise, but previously promised to respond violently in an attack it claimed would be “deadlier” than ever before. South Korea has also stated that it will retaliate with its air force if North Korea fires artillery in its direction. This comes as military drills stage by the South provoked a deadly attack from the North which killed four residents on the island.

Analysts in Seoul have stated that the operations today were designed to restore the South’s fierce deterrence against its neighbor. The lack of hostile response from the North has also been seen as a political move and an effort to garner international support – it has so far been widely criticized as the country to blame for the ongoing crisis. North Korea refuses to acknowledge the maritime border shared with the South and claims ownership of Yeonpyeong island.

Residents of the island where the drill was carried out were moved to air raid bunkers and were advised to wear gas masks.

From the University of Southern California, Professor David Kang of the Korean Studies Institute has stated that Kim Jong-il is reluctant to start a fully blown war against its Southern neighbor as the chances of his success are slim, and would jeopardy the chances of his son Kim Jong-un taking up leadership of North Korea.

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