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| Soldiers in trucks near the site of North Korea's shelling in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. South Korean military was put on the highest alert following the attack. / Yonhap |
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North Korea fired shells at South Korea's western front on Thursday afternoon, and the South fired shells back, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The latest exchange of fire came amid escalating tension along the inter-Korean border since the Aug. 4 landmine explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The landmine attack was blamed on Pyongyang and left two South Korean soldiers badly injured.
Two hours after North Korea fired the shells, President Park Geun-hye convened a National Security Council meeting where she ordered the military to respond firmly to North Korean provocations and maintain combat readiness at the border, Cheong Wa Dae said.
A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Defense said shells were fired by the North at 3:53 p.m. and again at 4:12 p.m.
"At 3:53 p.m., the South Korean military's radar system detected North Korea firing a shell believed to be from an anti-aircraft gun at a border area in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province," the official said.
The shell is thought to have landed in a mountainous area close to the border, and the military have so far failed to locate its location, he said.
A second attack occurred at 4.12 p.m. with a greater number of shells launched into the South-controlled part of the DMZ, 700 meters from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
No casualties were reported following the shelling.
Some soldiers there recounted that they heard the sound of shells being fired and saw smoke, the official added.
The Yeoncheon area, northwest of Seoul, is the South's western front where the Army's 28th Infantry Division is stationed.
In response, South Korean soldiers shot dozens of 155-millimeter self-propelled howitzers at 5:04 p.m. at the North-controlled area of the DMZ, 500 meters away from the MDL.
The ministry noted that the North Korean People's Army sent a notice through a cross-border telephone channel at 5 p.m., urging the South to stop its propaganda broadcasts.
"The North threatened to begin military operations if Seoul does not stop the broadcasts within 48 hours from 5 p.m. Thursday," the ministry said.
As tension between the two Koreas has reached dangerous levels, the military here instigated an attack-readiness position at 5:40 p.m., while issuing an evacuating order to the residents living in border areas including Incheon's Ganghwa district and Paju of Gyeonggi Province.
"No injuries or material damage have been reported," the official said. "There has been no damage to the loudspeakers, either."
The defense ministry said South Korean soldiers strengthened their readiness posture and are closely monitoring the movement of North Korean soldiers.
Belligerent proclamations by the North have increased after Seoul resumed its propaganda campaign along the border area using loudspeakers on Aug. 10.
The measure is part of a psychological warfare program to deliver outside news to North Korean soldiers and border-area residents. This is first time in 11 years the South has used such tactics and came after confirmation Pyongyang planted the landmines that maimed the South Korean soldiers.
On Aug. 15, the North Korean People's Army issued a warning against the South resuming broadcasting, saying "We will fire indiscriminately."
The South Korean military has detected signs that North Korean front-line soldiers are training in an apparent bid to destroy loudspeakers used by the South.
On the morning of Aug. 4, three North Korean-made wooden box antipersonnel landmines exploded in the South-controlled area of the DMZ as eight South Korean soldiers were on regular patrol.
A staff sergeant indentified only by his surname Ha lost both legs from below the knee, while another staff sergeant surnamed Kim had his right foot amputated below the ankle.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
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