Koreas in Border Artillery Clash

North Korea disrupted South Korean military drills, lobbing artillery shells over the border to Yeonpyeong Island. South Koreans returned fire in a clash that raises tension to some of its highest levels since the Korean War ended in 1953 without peace treaty, reports John Sudworth of BBC News. The action, just days after the unveiling of a uranium-enrichment facility, triggers a UN Security Council emergency meeting and ongoing delay in the Six-Party Talks aimed at eliminating the North’s nuclear-weapons program. The provocation is “a wider demonstration to the world of the North's power,” explains Jonathan Marcus in BBC analysis accompanying Sudworth’s report. Russia, the European Union, the United Kingdom along with the United States condemn the attack, while China holds back, suggesting that both nations “do more” to work toward peace. Analysts suggest that China, as North Korea’s main ally, is the only nation that can put a stop to the provocations. – YaleGlobal