Seoul endures life under the gun

By Andrew Salmon, for CNN

November 24, 2010 6:04 a.m. EST

A South Korean couple watch a public television screen broadcasting a report on North Korea's firing over the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong at a bus terminal in Seoul on November 23

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Although no strangers to North Korean hostility, Seoul residents see this attack as different
• The sight of columns of smoke rising from an artillery strike sent a frisson of real fear
• It was the first such attack since the Korean War ended at midnight July 27, 1953
• Seoul itself lies in range of massed, long-range North Korean artillery

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- On the surface, Seoul, the capital of economic powerhouse South Korea, is one of the most impressive cities in East Asia: Sprawling and prosperous, hi-tech and self confident.
But eight times a year, the traffic comes to a halt and crowds disappear from the streets as an eerie wail resounds across the city: The sound is a siren, and this is the minbangui, or civil defense exercise, designed to drill the population against a possible strike.

Seoul is a metropolis that lives in the gun sights of North Korea, one of the most dangerous states on the planet and just 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of downtown, yet Seoul residents have learned to live with the threat.

In recent years, North Korean provocations -- nuclear tests, missile firings, naval clashes -- have been more a subject for conversation in barbeque restaurants and late night pubs than lifestyle changers. Financial markets are barely moved by the latest threats; nobody is digging bunkers among their backyard kimchi pots. A blasé attitude has infiltrated the public consciousness after six decades of living with the North.
On Tuesday that attitude was rudely shaken after North Korean shells slammed into the South Korean island of Yeonpyong in the Yellow Sea.

The sight of columns of smoke rising from an artillery strike sent a frisson of real fear through this city of 12 million. It was the first such attack since the Korean War ended at midnight, July 27, 1953, and Seoul itself lies in range of massed, long-range North Korean artillery dug into the Demilitarized Zone.

Streets were jammed with traffic, as the news broke and people headed home to join families. Companies sent emails urging staff to remain calm. A European diplomatic dinner was half empty, as invited government officials on stage two alert -- one being the lowest level, four being war footing -- were obliged to remain at their stations.

"When I got home, the family discussed what we would do if war breaks out," said Kim Joon-hee, a Seoul-based accountant and mother of two. "This was especially shocking as it came after the Cheonan incident."

In March, the Cheonan, a South Korea warship, was sunk in the Yellow Sea with the loss of 46 lives, indicating a dangerous new level of aggression by North Korea. The isolated state is currently in the midst of a leadership succession process. In the words of North Korean expert Dr Andrei Lankov, incoming leader Kim Jong Un has to prove to his generals that, "...he is not a spoiled brat who spent his childhood eating Swiss pastries, but a tough leader -- a warlord in the making."

That was certainly the impression Seoul residents got on Tuesday.
"I had never seen South Korean buildings burning like that -- this was Iraq on Yeonpyong," said Sue Kim, a reporter at a leading daily. "It was kind of incredible, but then my reaction was this has been going on for half a century. I had forgotten that we live in a country at war."

The Korean War, which ended with a truce rather than a peace treaty, is a distant memory for most Seoulites: few know the details of the savage street combat that racked their city, or the fact that the capital changed hands four times. The only remaining signs of combat are the bullet and shrapnel damage in the masonry of ancient palaces, for most of the city has been built and rebuilt.

It is easy for the younger generation to overlook these scars, and the prominent U.S. military garrison -- headquarters of the 27,500 U.S. troops still stationed here as insurance against another invasion -- at Yongsan in the very heart of Seoul, is now an established part of the cityscape.

And whether the Cheonan and Yeonpyongdo incidents will permanently change attitudes is uncertain.
"Normally when the North Koreans misbehave, people don't care, but yesterday, people got nervous," said Robert Koehler, a 13-year expatriate and author of a Seoul guidebook. "People tend to get very angry, but then they settle down -- it is easy to get jaded."

But with the memories of one of the century's most devastating wars seared into their memories, the old generation cannot forget.

"For me this is nothing new," said Kim Song-hwan, a retired artist who lived through -- and painted -- the North Korean occupation of Seoul in 1950. "But it is kind of problematic that young people today are unconcerned about the danger of war."

The 20th century Korean War lasted three years and killed -- estimates vary -- between two and four million. A 21st century Korean War is likely to be shorter but, with Pyongyang possessing nuclear weapons, even deadlier.

And while Seoul in 1950 was a city that few people in the wider world had heard of, modern Seoul has tremendous international relevance as the capital of the world's 13th largest economy. Were it to come under artillery or nuclear attack, the tsunami that would sweep through global financial markets could be devastating.

Koreas on 'brink of war' because of Seoul, Pyongyang says

(CNN) -- North Korea on Wednesday blamed South Korea for driving them "to the brink of war," a day after the North shelled a South Korean island and killed four people.
South Korea provoked the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island by holding a military drill off their shared coast in the Yellow Sea, North Korea said.

Pyongyang made the accusation through its state media, referring to a military drill that Seoul holds every year.
"The puppet group dared make an uproar over 'a provocation' from someone and cry out for 'punishment' like a thief crying 'Stop the thief!'" the North's KCNA news agency said.

"The Lee Myung-bak group's treacherous and anti-reunification acts are intolerable as it vitiated the atmosphere for improving the inter-Korean relations overnight and drove the situation to the brink of war, challenging the desire of all the Koreans," KCNA said.

 

The Koreas clash

 

Attack on island in the Yellow Sea

 

 

Koreas urged to stand down

 

 

China concerned over shelling incident

 

The administration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said it was consulting the United States and other allies Wednesday, following the North's shelling.

"We have come to the judgment that what happened on Yeonpyeong Island was a definite military provocation against the Republic of Korea," the Lee administration said.

"The fact that they have indiscriminately fired upon a defenseless civilian zone was a brutally inhumane action, an illegal and intentional action against the U.N. constitution and the armistice between the North and South Korea."

The South said it was on high alert, but was calmly considering its actions.
"We have ordered to bring calm to the lives of people. For the deceased marines, we will give them honorable treatment and the funeral functions will be held on the coming Saturday," the Lee administration said.

"The close cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea will be maintained and there will be special measures for the damage done to the village."

Seoul on Wednesday announced 1 billion won ($875,583) in emergency money to repair damage wrought by Tuesday's shelling, which killed two South Korean marines and two civilians. The attack also injured 15 South Korean soldiers and three civilians, South Korea said.

The two civilians' bodies were found Wednesday on the coast of Yeonpyeong Island, South Korean coast guard said.

 

Gallery: North Korean attack

 

 

Map: N. Korea shells S. Korean island

The bodies of two men in their 60s were not recognized by residents of the sparsely populated island, leading officials to believe that they were construction workers from off the island, said Song Young-gil, mayor of Incheon.

Hundreds of South Koreans continued to evacuate from the island on Wednesday. Some residents said they were too afraid to ever return. They described being terrified as North Korean shells landed in and around their homes Tuesday.

On Wednesday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that five buildings were directly hit and 22 were damaged during the attack. Photos provided by South Korean coast guard on Wednesday showed demolished and damaged homes.

The Yellow Sea is a longstanding flash point between the two Koreas. In March, 46 South Korean sailors died there when their warship was torpedoed. Seoul says Pyongyang sank the Cheonan, which the North has denied.

The United States said Wednesday that it would hold military drills with South Korea in the Yellow Sea starting on Sunday.

"This exercise is defensive in nature. While planned well before yesterday's unprovoked artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence," U.S. Forces Korea said.

"The USS George Washington carrier strike group will join Republic of Korea naval forces in the waters west of the Korean peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct the next exercise in the series announced at the 2+2 meetings in July."

The United States has about 28,500 troops deployed in South Korea. A U.S. defense official said more than 50 U.S. Navy vessels are in the area, including a carrier strike group led by the USS George Washington.
The North Korean shelling has put the entire region on edge.

On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, "North Korea's artillery attack on South Korea was an attack on an area where ordinary citizens live. This is an unforgivable act of barbarism. We have been strongly condemning North Korea for this action and will continue to do so."

"This attack created extreme anxiety not only in South Korea, but also in the East Asia region, including Japan. We must tackle this issue with close coordination with South Korea, as well as the United States. At the same time, we urge China, which holds a strong influence over North Korea, to make an effort to suppress such action by North Korea."

China, which is North Korea's key ally, has responded obliquely to Tuesday's shelling.
"We have taken note of relevant reports and express our concern. Relevant facts need to be verified and we hope both parties make more contributions to the stability of the peninsula," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

Beijing sustains North Korea with food, arms and fuel. International sanctions over the North's nuclear program have isolated the country. Its people have gone hungry as Pyongyang has poured money into its military and nuclear programs.