Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- In a sharp escalation of hostility along their disputed sea border, North Korean and South Korean forces traded fire Tuesday, a deadly skirmish that jacked up diplomatic tensions in a volatile region.

Two South Korean marines were killed and 15 South Korean soldiers and civilians were wounded when the North fired about 100 rounds of artillery at Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, South Korea authorities said, according to the South Korean Yonhap news agency.

South Korea's military responded with more than 80 rounds of artillery and deployed fighter jets to counter the fire, defense officials said.

Firing between the two sides lasted for about an hour in the Yellow Sea, a longstanding flashpoint between the two Koreas. In March, a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, was sunk in the area with the loss of 46 lives in a suspected North Korean torpedo attack.

"Restraint should be exercised on both sides," said Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean denuclearization. He was in Beijing to discuss nuclear matters and spoke to reporters.

This latest action occurred during South Korean maritime military drills.

In Seoul, the South Korea government swiftly denounced the action as an "indisputable armed provocation against the Republic of Korea. Making matters worse, it even indiscriminately fired against civilians. Such actions will never be tolerated."

In its statement, the South Korean government said it "immediately and strongly responded to the provocation in accordance with the rules of engagement" and will retaliate against any additional acts of provocation in a resolute manner."

After the incident, Yonhap news agency in South Kore said the Seoul government "banned its nationals from entering the communist state, indefinitely postponed their scheduled Red Cross talks and began looking at ways to push the United Nations to condemn Pyongyang."

North Korea, meanwhile, said the incident stemmed from South Korean military drills, codenamed Hoguk, exercises that Pyongyang calls "war maneuvers for a war of aggression."

The "South Korean puppet group" engaged in "reckless military provocation" by firing "dozens of shells" inside its territorial waters "despite the repeated warnings of the DPRK" or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's military said in a statement.

"The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK standing guard over the inviolable territorial waters of the country took such decisive military step as reacting to the military provocation of the puppet group with a prompt powerful physical strike," the statement said.

"It is a traditional mode of counter-action of the army of the DPRK to counter the firing of the provocateurs with merciless strikes," said the statement, which warned that it "will unhesitatingly continue taking merciless military counter-actions against it" if the border is crossed.

This incident comes after a U.S. scientist reported that North Korea has a new uranium enrichment facility. North Korean officials said the facility is operating and producing low-enriched uranium, according to Stanford University professor Siegfried S. Hecker.

The enrichment facility contains 2,000 centrifuges and appears to be designed for nuclear power production, "not to boost North Korea's military capability," Hecker says.

But U.S. and South Korean diplomats said the latest relevation confirms the country's long-term deceit.

Sanctions have been progressively placed on North Korea in response to a succession of nuclear and missile tests and the sinking of the South Korean warship in March.

The United States said it would not dismiss restarting six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the North. However, it said it would not return to negotiations unless North Korea showed good faith.

Countries that had been negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program issued swift reaction.

The United States "strongly" condemned North Korea's action, and a U.S. Defense Department official told CNN that the "hope is that this is just one isolated incident, not an escalation into a different military posture" by the North.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had "taken note of relevant reports" and expressed its "concern." "Relevant facts need to be verified and we hope both parties make more contributions to the stability of the peninsula," he said.

Russia's Interfax news agency said Russia condemned North Korea's artillery shelling and said "those who initiated the attack on a South Korean island in the northern part of the inter-Korean maritime border line assumed enormous responsibility."

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's cabinet held a ministerial meeting and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku announced a government statement condemning North Korea and calling the act "unpardonable."

"This provocation by North Korea compromises the peace and security of not only South Korea, but also the entire region of North East Asia, including Japan. Japan demands North Korea to stop such action immediately," the statement said.

Asked whether the violence in the Yellow Sea would make resumption of six-party talks more difficult, Bosworth said, it's never been easy to reconvene the talks.

Yeonpyeong island is part of a small archipelago about 80 kilometers [49 miles] west of the South Korean port of Inchon, which serves Seoul, and is close to the tense Northern Limit Line, the maritime border between the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea.

North Korean artillery is extremely difficult to hit, because it is dug into coastal cliffs. Though the North has tested its artillery -- and tested anti-shipping missiles -- it has not fired artillery into South Korean territory in recent years. One of North Korea's most potent threats is artillery dug in along its demilitarized zone with South Korea and ranged on Seoul.

While the reason for the attack was in dispute, one North Korea watcher said the incident stems from the nuclear issue..

Choi Jin-wook, senior researcher at the Korea Institute of National Unification, said Pyongyang is "frustrated with Washington's response to their uranium program and they think that Washington has almost given up on negotiations with North Korea."

"I think they realize they can't expect anything from Washington or Seoul for several months, so I think they made the provocation."

"I definitely think this is centrally directed from Pyongyang. This can't be done without orders from Pyongyang," he added.

Meanwhile, with national leader Kim Jong Il apparently in ailing health, his son Kim Jong Un is being raised to prominence in the isolated state, in what pundits see as a succession process.

North Korea on Tuesday fired artillery into the sea near its tense western sea border with South Korea, injuring at least 14 South Korean miltary personnel and two civilians, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Four of the military personnel were seriously injured, Yonhap said.

At least 200 rounds of artillery hit an inhabited South Korean island after the North started firing about 2:30 p.m. local time, Yonhap said.

South Korea's military responded with 80 rounds of artillery and deployed fighter jets to counter the fire, the report said.

The South Korean army also raised its alert condition, the report said.

www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/nkorea.skorea.military.fire/?hpt=T1

South Korea's YTN television said that several houses were on fire and that shells were still falling on the island.  The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) reported that at least several people had been killed in the attack

-KIM KEUN-SIK, PROFESSOR, KYUNGNAM UNIVERSITY

"This seems to be a highest-level military provocation. On one hand, North Korea has a uranium enrichment card to bring the United States to the negotiation table. On the other hand, by raising tensions in the West Sea, North Korean wants to threaten South Korea.

"I don't think, (the reason for the artillery shelling) is a simple protest against the South Korean military drill. It must have been beyond that."

 

-CHUNG SEUNG-JAE, MARKET ANALYST, MIRAE ASSET SECURITIES

"The news came at a time when market sentiment was already weakened by European debt and Chinese tightening concerns. And combined, stock market will do poorly tomorrow. Artillery firing on residential area was unlike its other acts of aggression. And this is alarming."

 

-LEE DONG-BOK, SENIOR ASSOCIATE AT CSIS

"North Korea's shelling is probably related to its recent revealing of its uranium enrichment program. It is likely that they are making a strong attempt to shake the U.S. and South Korea so that they will make some concessions."

UPDATE:   At least one South Korean marine reportedly was killed. President Lee Myung-bak ordered officials to make sure that the firing wouldn't escalate, according to Yonhap, quoting a presidential official. YTN said between 1,200 and 1,300 people live on the island, citing an island resident.  www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hsTlihk0EpAU1vXyMn56ahpcY0NQ?docId=14d374c4d29149149802735827cdda1b

 

"The whole neighborhood is on fire," said Na Young-ok, a 46-year-old woman who has lived on the island for 20 years. She was at a bomb shelter when reached by The Wall Street Journal. "I think countless houses are on fire, but no fire truck is coming. We have a fire station but the shots are intermittently coming."

Ms. Na said a military base on the island was on fire. She said she was with about 50 people in the shelter and her child was in a similar shelter at the school on the island. She didn't know whether people were injured.  online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703904804575631763523837910.html

Gerry Davies reports that there’s a rumor about the death of North Korean leader Kim Jung Il. This could explain why North Korea attacked South Korea with shells, killing a few people. Kim Jung Il’s heir might want to show that the North is still strong and that there’s a new guy in town by initiating this severe border clash.  www.forexcrunch.com/rumor-kim-jung-il-died-can-explain-north-korean-attack/

UPDATE:  North Korea fired artillery toward its tense western sea border with South Korea on Tuesday, killing at least one South Korean soldier, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Two civilians and 13 other South Korean military personnel were injured, with three of the soldiers seriously hurt, Yonhap said.

A Ministry of Defense spokesman contradicted the Yonhap report, saying that no deaths had been confirmed and that the military was checking on possible civilian casualties.  edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/nkorea.skorea.military.fire/?hpt=T1  (VIDEO)

great, another opportunity for USA to stick their nose in a Inter-Korean affair (and one that was for yrs)

Right you are. We positioned ourselves last week. Looks like my step-son will be busy this Thanksgiving.

North Korean Attack: South Vows Retaliation Against Further Attacks

By The Epoch Times (Reporter)
Tue 23 Nov 2010 12:22

SEOUL, South Korea—In response to North Korea’s attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong Tuesday—the first military offensive on civilians since the Korean War ended in 1953—Seoul promised to “retaliate against any additional acts of provocation in a resolute manner.”

According to the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the North Korea military started firing a barrage of artillery shells at 2:34 p.m. local time, on Yeonpyeong Island and its surrounding waters. A least two marines were killed and 13 soldiers wounded, as shells fell on the island inhabited by 1,600 civilians. Four residents were reported wounded. The bombing on the island ended at 4:42 p.m.

South Korea's military responded at 2:47 pm, firing 80 shells toward the North Korean artillery base on the west coast, and deploying fighter jets to the West Sea. All troops were placed on maximum alert.

Lee Hong-ki, the director of military action for the JCS said in a briefing right after the attack, "As we delivered concentrated fire to the source of attack, we thought that the North had significant damage."

Lee also said, "This provocation represents inhuman atrocities, bombing indiscriminately on unarmed civilian residential area," But he added, "the [South Korean] military will try its best to prevent the situation from getting aggravated, while curbing the additional provocation [from the North]."

The spokesman for South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak denounced the attack in the strongest terms possible. "The firing of artillery by North Korea against Yeonpyeongdo [Yeonpyeong Island] constitutes an indisputable armed provocation against the Republic of Korea. Making matters worse, they even indiscriminately fired against civilians. Such actions will never be tolerated."

"The South Korean military will retaliate against any additional acts of provocation in a resolute manner," the statement continued.

However, the North's top military command accused the South of shoot first. According to North Korea's Central News Agency, the top military command published an article stating, "The South Korean puppet group dared military provocation, firing shells onto our territorial waters near Yeonpyeong Island against our repeated warnings. So our revolutionary force took resolute military actions, responding to the South military provocation with immediate and powerful physical blows.”

It also warned, "From this time, there exists in the West Sea of Korea only the maritime military demarcation line set by us [North Korea]."

Yeonpyeong Island lies 3 km (1.9 mi.) south of the maritime border between the two Koreas, called the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which the North Korea does not acknowledge, claiming that it was unilaterally set by the United States after the Korea War (1950~53) ended in a truce. The West Sea near the NLL has five inhabited islands including Yeonpyeong, and is an area of high tension making it a potential flashpoint between the two Koreas.

There have been three bloody naval skirmishes in the area, in 1999, 2002 and 2009. In each occasion, North Korean patrol vessels crossed the border, firing or provoking South Korean naval ships. Last May, South Korean navy ship, Cheonan, was attacked by a North Korean torpedo, investigators determined. The North denies any involvement.

Tuesday’s bombing came as the South Navy was conducting a routine drill near island. The South began its nine-day annual defense drill on Monday, which North Korea denounced, sending a warning message to Seoul.

However, each time either South Korean or U.S.-South Korean military conduct exercises in the West Sea, the North sends a message warning of a potential attack. Normally, the North has stopped at verbal attacks, thus local residents did not expect to be fired on, in spite of the military drill near their island.

The exact damage has still not been reported, but dozens of houses burned down and a mountain on the island was set ablaze. All residents were evacuated to air-raid shelters and four civilians were reportedly injured, according to a spokesman for Incheon Metropolitan City, to which the island belongs.
Options for Retaliation
South Koreans are angry and increasingly concerned about the North, and some are looking to their government to retaliate for the attack on Yeonpyeong Island.

Kim Hwang-ho, a Seoul resident and medical doctor said, "I feel furious that innocent soldiers were killed again and the South Korean government is being pulled this way and that by the North Korea regime. I don't think this attack will escalate into war because the North did it to get something from the South, but the South has to give some lessons this time."

{etRelated 46373, 46287}President Lee has indicated that such a lesson might be forthcoming. According to the statement from his spokesman, the president said during the visit with the JCS, "as for such attacks on civilians, a response beyond the rule of engagement is necessary. Our military should show this through action rather than an administrative response."

Experience has shown so far, however, that the range of Seoul is willing to take are limited.

In May, after the sinking of the Cheonan killed 46 soldiers, President Lee said that South Korea would exercise its “right to self-defense” in the event that the North invades the South. The “right” however, has so far been most narrowly interpreted as launching an immediate counterattack, as happened on Tuesday.

At present, serious military retaliation seems a remote option since it could lead to all-out war. In such a war, Pyongyang has little to lose given its ailing economy and poor infrastructure, while the South, the world’s 13th biggest economy, has much to lose. Each time there is news of military conflict between the two Koreas, the South has to reassure investors to prevent the stock market from falling.

Economic retaliation is not an option since there are already heavy sanctions in place against North Korea. Last year, the United Nations imposed tough sanctions after North Korean nuclear tests. Seoul stopped almost all economic trade and cooperation with the North, save for a joint industrial complex in Gaesung, after the sinking of the Cheonan.

Quote from: Belloc

great, another opportunity for USA to stick their nose in a Inter-Korean affair (and one that was for yrs)

Right you are. We positioned ourselves last week. Looks like my step-son will be busy this Thanksgiving.

may he be safe, come home soon and get the heck out of military ASAP for him....

I agree with you. The Marine is finished with the Marines. Now, he wants to be a cop in Chicago.    :faint:            

 :scared2: :shocked:  He's safer in the Marines!

Quote from: Alexandria

Quote from: Dawn

I agree with you. The Marine is finished with the Marines. Now, he wants to be a cop in Chicago.    :faint:            

 :scared2: :shocked:  He's safer in the Marines!

actually, not really, I wa a cop, no stab wounds, no GSW on me

marines tend to get sentto every undeclared, stick your nose conflict and are on the front lines.....see Full Metal Jacket for reference....but, a cop is likely will not have his legs blown off him!!! or the like......

also, a good cop is within the law, unJust wars are illegal and condmened, hence, getting out ASAp is better and he would be more in line with Church teaching...not to blame him or denigrate him at all, but he needs t oget out ASAP, also, while he has all his limbs, eyes,etc.....

Thank you, Belloc, but I was only teasing. :guitar:

Chicago is just nasty, scandal ridden and dangerous. It will not be better under Rahm either.
Yes, he really, really, really talks like a Marine. I tried to warn him about the real world. What can you do.

pray, continue to plant seeds-there were a few like him in my BLET class yrs ago, some calmed down woth training, age,etc-some did not..one of the not, ran off to Australia with another woman he met online (geesh), but most calmed down and many return normal lives....

tell him then to avoid Chicago, go to the suburbs,etc....still, not like having rockets shot at you, 100's of machine gunes or trip booby traps,etc...