S Korea marks anniversary of North’s shelling

South Korea marked yesterday the anniversary of North Korea’s 2010 shelling of a border island with a military drill and memorials, clouded by the threat of a fresh attack from Pyongyang. The Nov. 23 attack on Yeonpyeong island killed two South Korean marines and two civilians in one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-1953 Korean War. In the intervening two years, most of the islanders who fled with the intention of resettling on the mainland have returned. But their home has changed dramatically and now bristles with new fortifications, a three-fold increase in troop numbers and the regular wail of sirens signaling another attack warning drill. “Some say they still can’t sleep well at night, can’t breath well or their heartbeat gets faster when the sirens go off,” local doctor Park Kil-Soon told AFP. South Korean military conducted simulated and field exercises yesterday in and around the island involving the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, under various North Korea attack scenarios. Defense officials stressed that no live artillery rounds were used in an apparent effort to avoid provoking Pyongyang. A new museum was inaugurated in Yeonpyeong, featuring photos, 3D images and videos detailing the 2010 attack, and incorporating the wreckage of two shelled homes, with charred children’s bicycles and other items. In Seoul, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-Sik led a service at the city’s War Memorial, during which he spoke of the “reckless brutality” displayed by the shelling. North Korea has ridiculed the memorial activities, and its military on Thursday threatened another attack on the island, saying its only regret was not sending Yeonpyeong “to the bottom of the sea” two years ago. “It is (our) steadfast will ... not to miss the opportunity to do so if the warmongers perpetrate another provocation,” an army spokesman said. Choi Ok-Sun, a 30-year resident who owns an inn on the island, initially moved to the mainland port city of Incheon after the shelling with the intention of starting a fresh life. But within a year she was back on Yeonpyeong.