<#304 View of Foreign Press>
 
North Korea Rains Shells on Yeonpyeong Island
 
By Hyeon Ji-yeong, Tribune reporter
 
On November 23rd, North Korea fired roughly 200 artillery shells onto Yeonpyeong Island. Consequently, two marines and two civilians of South Korea were killed and a total of 21 people wounded. North Korea insists that South Korea bombarded North Korea’s waters first, but South Korean Minister of National Defense, Kim Tae-young said, “Our military drill was announced in advance, and shooting practice was done in southwestern sea.” He expressed that it is illegal for North Korea to destroy South Korea’s civilian territory and it is also a violation of the cease-fire agreement. The world’s media have kept an eye on the growing tension on the Korean Peninsula. The Chonnam Tribune picked several articles out of the many reports given by the foreign press about North Korea’s attack.
 
 
 
 
Radio France International (RFI), an international public broadcaster owned by the French government, conveyed the world’s public criticism on November 23rd. But, in solving the problem, RFI estimated that world leaders are generally sensible and they want peace talks. This article quotes moderate comments, for example, a Pentagon spokesman commented "At this point it's premature to say that we're considering any action”, and Beijing said it was "imperative" that the stalled six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's atomic ambitions be resumed. Moreover, RFI  citied official statements from the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and the U.N.
Time Magazine, an American weekly, analyzed North Korea’s provocation in economic terms on November 23rd. The reporter foresaw that “Kim Jong-il's unpredictability, and his continued willingness to use lethal force” might shake up the international economy, but only a bit. Then, the Time expressed that North Korea alone still lives in the Cold War, which everyone else considers a relic of the past. The magazine also said that North Korea’s attitude will trap its own economy so that the North Korean people will be in an even more severe famine. In the end, North Korea is being self-destructive, making North Korea itself the only victim of the conflict they caused.
On the day of the incident, NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, interrupted its regular broadcast with their breaking news report on the North Korean issue by NHK‘s correspondent in Seoul . Afterwards, NHK reported comparatively detailed news, including North Korea’s reaction and China’s suggestion regarding the 6-party talks. Additionally, on November 28th, they made the announcement that under US-South Korean naval exercises, Japan's Self-Defense Forces is also monitoring North Korea and preparing for any emergency situation. The article shows that the relationship between South Korea and North Korea is also putting an extreme strain on Japan, which located near the Korean Peninsula.
Many stories about North Korea have appeared in the headlines of the world press for days. And of course South Korean was mad that North Korea used weapons of destruction again, especially not even long after the incident involving the sinking of the Cheonan-ham. Many South Koreans are denouncing this terrible conduct, saying that it will be remembered in history as shameless behavior. However, North Korea has not changed its threatening attitude. In this situation where most of the world including South Korea is highly indignant about the tension and the damage North Korea has caused, North Korea needs to back off a little, before the situation grows worse.
저작권자 © Chonnam Tribune 무단전재 및 재배포 금지