2015 North Korea's Shelling of South Korea across Western Front

Overview

On August 20, 2015, around 3:52 p.m., the North Korean military fired a 14.5mm antiaircraft gun at an anti North Korea propaganda loudspeaker unit on the western border near Jungmyeon town of Yeoncheongun county in Gyeonggido province, South Korea, which landed on a hill a few kilometers away from the loudspeakers. At around 4:15 p.m., the North Korean military launched a second artillery attack by firing rounds of 76.2mm artillery shells, which landed 700m away from the South's section of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that separates the two Koreas.

At around 5:04 p.m., the South Korean military responded by firing dozens of 155㎜ K-55A1 self-propelled artillery shells toward the suspected source of the North Korean projectiles, which were not directly aimed at North Korea's military base. No injuries were reported among the North Korean military or nearby residents. South Korea's firing of shells across the MDL to the North took place for the first time in 42 years after the South Korean military based in Cheorwon area fired mortars and 105㎜ howitzers to the North Korean military in February 1973.

Background

The ostensible reason for North Korea's shelling of South Korea across the western front was anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts resumed by the South Korean government. Indeed, North Korea claimed that the resumption of the broadcasts is a declaration of war, in a letter issued at around 4:50 p.m. on August 20 in the name of Kim Yang-geon, secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea.

The reason, however, did not make sense, as South Korea reinstated propaganda broadcasts in response to the explosion of landmines planted by the North, which took place on August 4 and severed the legs of two South Korean soldiers.

North Korea sensitively reacted to propaganda broadcasts beamed into the North because such psychological warfare tactics are a great threat to the hermit kingdom. A South Korean military official said, "The (psychological warfare) methods are quite a headache to the North Korean leadership, as they are directly related to the regime's stability… So much so that anti-North Korea leaflets are called paper bombs." In other words, North Korea considers psychological warfare against it as attempts to overthrow the state and a menace even greater than nuclear weapons. North Korea reacted particularly sensitively to psychological warfare.

In 2010, North Korea threatened to destroy propaganda loudspeakers in response to South Korea's decision to restart broadcasts after North Korea's torpedo attack on South Korean warship Cheonan. In October 2014, North Korea fired anti-aircraft shells at balloons carrying propaganda leaflets sent by South Korean civic groups.

The South Korean government stopped propaganda broadcasts after the two Koreas reached an agreement to shut down the loudspeakers during general-level talks held in 2004. The government resumed the broadcasts after 11 years in response to the landmine provocation by North Korea that did not express any apology or regret for the explosion and instead put the blame on South Korea.

The recent shelling attack took place in Jung-myeon town of Yeoncheon-gun county, the base of the 28th Infantry Division of South Korea, where the North Korean military fired about a dozen rounds of artillery shells at balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets back in October 2014.

Response by North Korea

North Korea denied the allegation of the August 20 shelling attack on the western border area of South Korea and claimed that it was South Korea that conducted a military provocation.

On August 21, the state-run Korean Central News Agency of North Korea reported on an emergency briefing of the Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army, saying "The war maniacs of the puppet army irrationally fired 36 rounds of artillery shells at our guard posts on the phony pretext that our army fired an artillery gun."

The report continued: "The brutal artillery attack on our sacred land and guard posts is a severe military provocation that should not be tolerated… The gravity of the incident lies in that the puppet army did not hesitate to conduct such a military provocation without even identifying the location of the source of the alleged attack, the landing points of the shells on their own soil, and whether the shells are anti-aircraft rounds, bullets or rocket bombs." North Korea tried to place the entire blame on South Korea regarding a series of recent conflicts, as the report said:

Yesterday, they resumed psychological propaganda broadcasts against us across the border on the pretense of the doubtful landmine explosion and, today, they are firing shells to us for no clear reason.

This is just an insane provocation by the war maniacs of the puppet army.

The report added, "The reckless provocation deserves punishment… The war maniacs of the South Korean army should be aware of the revengeful spirit of our furious soldiers of the united front and behave carefully."

Development of the incident

After firing back in response to North Korea's shelling attack, the South Korean military went on full alert and issued 'Jindo Dog 1', the highest military alert level, for the 6th Corps. And, at around 6 p.m., an emergency meeting of the National Security Council was convened at Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office of South Korea. In the meeting, the military decided to continue anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts. That same night, North Korea called an emergency enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and issued an ultimatum saying that it will take military action unless South Korea halts the broadcasts by 5 p.m., August 22.

On August 20, North Korea threatened by saying, "Propaganda broadcasts are a declaration of war and military action will be carried out unless any practical measure is taken to stop the broadcasts", in a letter sent in the name of Kim Yang-geon, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, to Kim Gwan-jin, chief of the National Security Office of South Korea's presidential office. Kim Yang-geon added in the letter, however, "North Korea is willing to try to settle the situation and find a way to improve relations."

On August 22, early in the morning, the Foreign Ministry of North Korea announced a threatening statement that North Korea is ready to wage an all-out war. At 9:35 a.m., the same day, however, the North sent a notification letter in the name of Hwang Byeong-seo, chief of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, suggesting a high-level meeting. Finally at 6 p.m., high-level talks began with two attendees from each side. On August 25, both sides reached the August 25 agreement saving the Korean peninsula from the brink of war. The South Korean government suggested a preliminary meeting three times concerning bilateral talks agreed in the August 25 agreement, but North Korea rejected them all.

Significance

The shelling attack by North Korea on the western border area of South Korea took place while Ulchi-Freedom Guardian (UFG), a South Korea-U.S. combined military exercise, was underway in the South. The attack made South Korea and the U.S. to reconfirm close cooperation against North Korea. North Korea launched the attack in strong opposition to the joint drill, which, however, only strengthened the South Korea-U.S. alliance. The two allied forces initiated a joint operational system in response to North Korea's shelling attack.

South Korea and the U.S. signed the combined counter-provocation plan in 2013 to take immediate response to North Korea's military provocation through coordinate efforts between the two allies. The plan was deployed for the first time since its adoption as part of response to the recent shelling attack by North Korea. And, it was the first time that the two allied forces established a joint operational system in real time in response to North Korea's local provocation since the ax murder incident that occurred in August 1976.

The allied forces were also ready to mobilize their firepower in retaliating against North Korea's provocation, which was demonstrated in the 2015 Combined Live Fire Exercise that took place from August 12 at Seungjin Combat Training Center, known as Nightmare Range, in Pocheon city of Gyeonggi-do province, South Korea.

The firepower exercise involved demonstration of South Korea's advanced weapons, such as K-2 battle tanks, K-21 armored vehicles, Surion helicopters, FA-50 combat fighters and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), as well as Bradley fighting vehicles, Paladin self-propelled howitzers, Apache helicopters and A-10 bombers of the U.S. Forces in South Korea. The integrated fire exercise signified that the two allied forces took North Korea's shelling attack seriously and demonstrated their strong determination to respond to any further provocation through powerful forces of the two allies.