The Other McCain

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Holy Crap! North Korean Opens Artillery Bombardment on South Korean Island

Posted on | November 23, 2010 | 4 Comments

This is kind of scary:

North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Tuesday after dozens of shells fired from the North struck a South Korean island near the countries’ disputed maritime border, South Korean military officials said. Two South Korean soldiers were killed, 15 were wounded and three civilians were injured, said Kiyheon Kwon, an official at the Defense Ministry.
The South Korean military went to “crisis status,” and fighter planes were put on alert but did not take off.
South Korean artillery units returned fire after the North’s shells struck South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island at 2:34 p.m., said Mr. Kwon, adding that the North also fired numerous rounds into the Yellow Sea. Television footage showed large plumes of black smoke spiraling from the island, and news reports said dozens of houses were on fire.
The official North Korean news agency said in a brief statement Tuesday night that the South had started the fight when it “recklessly fired into our sea area.”

Sydney Morning Herald:

NORTH KOREA has burnished the leadership credentials of its 26-year-old dictator-in-waiting with a deadly artillery attack on South Korean territory, causing its neighbour to return fire and scramble F-16 fighters. . . .
A North Korea expert at Beijing’s Central Party School, Zhang Liangui, told the Herald that Kim Jong-un was deliberately destabilising the environment in order to mobilise the military and consolidate his power.

Hat-tip: Gateway Pundit.

UPDATE: “Gird your loins!” says Michelle Malkin, quoting Jim Geraghty: “I can’t believe the president’s personal letter to Kim Jong Il didn’t work.”

UPDATE II: Via Memeorandum, more from Da Techguy’s Blog, Ruby Slippers, Richard Fernandez, Hot Air, Donald Douglas at American Power and AmSpecBlog

Category: North Korea

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