Residents of South Korean islands told to evacuate after North Korea fires artillery barrage

Residents of South Korean islands told to evacuate after North Korea fires artillery barrage

AFP

North Korea fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean islands on Friday, Seoul’s defense ministry says, warning the actions threatened peace and that it would respond.

Residents of both islands are ordered to evacuate and ferries are suspended as South Korea plans a naval drill in response, in one of the most serious military escalations on the peninsula since the North fired shells at one of the same islands in 2010.

Friday’s live firing follows repeated warnings from Kim Jong Un’s regime in Pyongyang that it was prepared for war against South Korea and the United States.