Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

“Act upon principle when bombs dropped in south of NLL”

MND, suspicious about North Korea’s sincerity of consolation for the Sewol ferry accident, is dealing with the provocation firmly.

In regard to the gunfire south of NLL executed by North Korea, on April 29, MND stated that it would no longer overlook North Korea’s duplicitous action and deal with the further provocation firmly.  

North Korea Southwest Front Command reported the maritime firing exercise, aiming at Wallaedo, Mudo, and the surrounding area in the north of NLL, to the Second Fleet Command by making a telephone communication at 8:50 a.m. Later, North Korea fired approximately 50 rounds of shells for 10 minutes beginning at 2 p.m. with 130mm coastal artilleries. All the shells dropped 3km north of NLL, keeping our sea area clean.   

After being notified, our military immediately took steps to return fishing boats working in the northwest islands and safely evacuated residents living in those islands to a shelter. The evacuation was lifted around 3:30 p.m. The Army prepared for every kind of situation that could possibly happen by using major response forces.

“We are maintaining the preparatory position, keeping an eye on North Korea’s additional coastal artillery tendency and movement of reinforcing artillery,” said the relevant Joint Chiefs of Staff official. 

An MND official also emphasized that the gunfire could not be a consolation for the recent Sewol ferry accident but a doubtful action about its sincerity, under the circumstances of nuclear experiments that North Korea pushes ahead with and the gunfire last March.  

He also said, “Although North Korea proposed to stop all hostile actions and mutual slander on the five West Sea islands early this year, it continues using heinous, abusive language not to be spoken. This is immoral behavior.”

Meanwhile, prior to this, President Park Geun-hye ordered action against North Korea based on principle if the shells fell to the south of NLL.

By Chul-Hwan, Kim < droid001@dema.mil.kr >
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