P`yang shows `concern` for safety of frontline island residents

North Korea has expressed "concern" for the safety of South Korean residents on frontline islands near the inter-Korean sea border following a series of threats to launch “a merciless counterstrike” against the South Korean military’s firing drills in the Yellow Sea.

Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website targeting South Koreans, released a video Friday asking if South Korean residents on the five frontline islands on the west coast were all right. It said the North Korean military did not act because the South Korean military moved its drill zone and just “simulated” artillery firing.

In an “open notice” made Sunday, a day before the drill, the North Korean military issued a warning, saying, “If a single column of water is observed in the territorial waters, the (North) Korean People’s Army will promptly make merciless retaliatory strikes.”

The warning also advised all civilians on the five border islands to evacuate to safe areas.

Some 1,000 residents on the islands evacuated Monday, though no military clash between the two Koreas occurred. In the latest video, however, the North said they should not “feel relieved” because “dangerous fireworks” will continue," and that residents should “evacuate to farther places” so that the North Korean military can “feel free to hit hard the Yankees and their henchmen.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said the maritime firing exercise was conducted as planned, denying the North’s claim that the South relocated its firing zone.

“We conducted the exercise at a predetermined firing zone with K-9 self-propelled guns and machine guns,” an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. “(North Korea’s argument) is not worth responding to because it was nothing but an excuse for its failure to carry out its provocation threat.”

Posted by a user named “Park Su Yon,” the video was a little over two minutes and showed footage of South Korean residents of the islands evacuating, the South Korean military’s artillery firing, and a North Korean military parade. The video contained no voice recording as its narrative was subtitled.

An official at South Korea`s Unification Ministry said, "Urimonzokkiri has been operating a UCC (user-created content) corner since August last year and has sporadically posted re-edited video materials showing demonstrations in South Korea for propaganda purposes.”

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