Korean-Canadian community reeling after military clash in homeland
Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Shock waves rolled through Canada's Korean community Tuesday as its members struggled to accept news of a significant military clash between the South and the Communist North.
Word that North Korea had launched a deadly artillery attack on a populous civilian area near the South Korean border sparked fear that long-simmering tensions between the two countries would quickly reach a boiling point and endanger friends and family still living in the conflicted region.
The skirmish began when Pyongyang warned the South to halt military drills in the area, according to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters, albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the small island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations and a small civilian population.
The attack killed two South Korean marines, injured three civilians, and set dozens of buildings ablaze.
South Korea responded by firing K-9 155mm self-propelled howitzers and dispatching fighter jets. Officials in Seoul warned there could be considerable North Korean casualties. The entire skirmish lasted about an hour.
Anxiety and dismay dominated the mood at Toronto's Korean Canadian Cultural Association _ a community centre and educational hub for the city's Korean population.
Katie Jung, 38, said news of the clash left her and her colleagues at the association stunned.
"This is a really unthinkable situation, I can't believe it," said Jung, who grew up hearing tales of horror from the Korean War that ended in 1953.
Up until last month, Jung's parents lived just a few kilometres away from the North Korean border. She derives little comfort from the fact that they now live further away from the conflict zone, saying the country's geography makes any attack a dangerous prospect.
"South Korea is not a big land. It doesn't matter you live near the border or south of that, actually it doesn't matter," she said.
Dennis Hong, president of the Calgary Korean Association, had similar fears for his family members back home.
Despite the fact that the countries have endured numerous military clashes and in fact never officially declared an end to the Korean War, Hong said the most recent incident has caused him more concern.
"I live in Canada, but that's my home country, right? So I feel so bad to North Korea, what they do right now."
The KCCA issued a statement condemning the North Korean attack, calling it a violation of the armistice agreement that finally put a stop to the Korean War.
"Not only is it the first time North has fired military artillery into South Korea since the armistice agreement, but this is the first time the military artillery entered into South Korean military and civilian territory," the association said.
Despite mutual threats of retaliation from both governments and widespread international condemnation, some experts believe Tuesday's clash is unlikely to escalate further.
Tony Seaboyer, an international relations professor based in Kingston, Ont., acknowledged that North Korea's attack marked the first direct offensive involving civilians since 1953, but said neither country likely wants to pursue long-term military conflicts at the moment.
"Neither of the two are by any means interested in a larger military confrontation," he said.
"North Korea, because it doesn't have resources to feed its people, it doesn't have resources to process the normal infrastructure of a country. On the other hand South Korea has absolutely no interest in military conflict for obvious ethical reasons, but also simply because North Korea has some kind of nuclear weapon capability."
While acknowledging that the situation does have potential to "get out of hand" and prompt a more serious global conflict, Seaboyer speculated North Korea's actions represent a form of muscle-flexing either by the ailing current President Kim Jong Il or his appointed but untested successor, his son Kim Jong Un.
Not all Korean Canadians were alarmed by Tuesday's events.
Hyun Choi, pastor of the Korean Church of Halifax, said the community has grown accustomed to watching conflicts play out in the region, where testy exchanges between the two militaries have become commonplace.
While he intends to pray for peace during his next service, Choi said Tuesday's skirmish is not cause for serious concern.
"We saw that kind of thing before lots of times," he said. "Of course we are worried about that, but we don't think it's now so serious."
Content Provided By Canadian Press.
TORONTO - Shock waves rolled through Canada's Korean community Tuesday as its members struggled to accept news of a significant military clash between the South and the Communist North.
Word that North Korea had launched a deadly artillery attack on a populous civilian area near the South Korean border sparked fear that long-simmering tensions between the two countries would quickly reach a boiling point and endanger friends and family still living in the conflicted region.
The skirmish began when Pyongyang warned the South to halt military drills in the area, according to South Korean officials. When Seoul refused and began firing artillery into disputed waters, albeit away from the North Korean shore, the North retaliated by bombarding the small island of Yeonpyeong, which houses South Korean military installations and a small civilian population.
The attack killed two South Korean marines, injured three civilians, and set dozens of buildings ablaze.
South Korea responded by firing K-9 155mm self-propelled howitzers and dispatching fighter jets. Officials in Seoul warned there could be considerable North Korean casualties. The entire skirmish lasted about an hour.
Anxiety and dismay dominated the mood at Toronto's Korean Canadian Cultural Association _ a community centre and educational hub for the city's Korean population.
Katie Jung, 38, said news of the clash left her and her colleagues at the association stunned.
"This is a really unthinkable situation, I can't believe it," said Jung, who grew up hearing tales of horror from the Korean War that ended in 1953.
Up until last month, Jung's parents lived just a few kilometres away from the North Korean border. She derives little comfort from the fact that they now live further away from the conflict zone, saying the country's geography makes any attack a dangerous prospect.
"South Korea is not a big land. It doesn't matter you live near the border or south of that, actually it doesn't matter," she said.
Dennis Hong, president of the Calgary Korean Association, had similar fears for his family members back home.
Despite the fact that the countries have endured numerous military clashes and in fact never officially declared an end to the Korean War, Hong said the most recent incident has caused him more concern.
"I live in Canada, but that's my home country, right? So I feel so bad to North Korea, what they do right now."
The KCCA issued a statement condemning the North Korean attack, calling it a violation of the armistice agreement that finally put a stop to the Korean War.
"Not only is it the first time North has fired military artillery into South Korea since the armistice agreement, but this is the first time the military artillery entered into South Korean military and civilian territory," the association said.
Despite mutual threats of retaliation from both governments and widespread international condemnation, some experts believe Tuesday's clash is unlikely to escalate further.
Tony Seaboyer, an international relations professor based in Kingston, Ont., acknowledged that North Korea's attack marked the first direct offensive involving civilians since 1953, but said neither country likely wants to pursue long-term military conflicts at the moment.
"Neither of the two are by any means interested in a larger military confrontation," he said.
"North Korea, because it doesn't have resources to feed its people, it doesn't have resources to process the normal infrastructure of a country. On the other hand South Korea has absolutely no interest in military conflict for obvious ethical reasons, but also simply because North Korea has some kind of nuclear weapon capability."
While acknowledging that the situation does have potential to "get out of hand" and prompt a more serious global conflict, Seaboyer speculated North Korea's actions represent a form of muscle-flexing either by the ailing current President Kim Jong Il or his appointed but untested successor, his son Kim Jong Un.
Not all Korean Canadians were alarmed by Tuesday's events.
Hyun Choi, pastor of the Korean Church of Halifax, said the community has grown accustomed to watching conflicts play out in the region, where testy exchanges between the two militaries have become commonplace.
While he intends to pray for peace during his next service, Choi said Tuesday's skirmish is not cause for serious concern.
"We saw that kind of thing before lots of times," he said. "Of course we are worried about that, but we don't think it's now so serious."
Content Provided By Canadian Press.
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