I'M KIND OF FREAKING OUT

This is the first time North Korea has blatantly threatened and then followed through with an attack on South Korea in a long time, guys. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

North Korea shells southern island, one fatality reported [긴급] 北, 연평도에 해안포 50여발 공격 November 23, 2010

North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells into Yeonpyeong Island and the South Korean Navy directly returned fire after 2:34 p.m. today. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that multiple buildings on the island were destroyed by North Korean shells. They put five islands in the area of the attack on highest military alert. One fatality, a South Korean marine, was confirmed by the military, and 13 soldiers were wounded on the island and four civilians. Soldiers and civilians were brought to hospitals. South Korea started returning fire at 3:42 p.m. and fired around 80 rounds. Around 4:42, shots were reported to die down from both sides, according to the South Korean military. South Korea dispatched F-16 fighter jets to the area. Residents of the island started evacuating. This picture is of the western maritime border (the main land you see is North Korea) and the red explosion mark is where the attack took place. President Lee Myung-bak was quoted by his spokeswoman as saying: "Respond firmly, but make the best efforts not to worsen the situation." The South Korea military also reported "unusual movements" of military equipment on the North Korean coast near South Korea's Baekryeong Island. An annual nationwide military drill, called the Hoguk exercise, which include U.S. forces, began yesterday. A thousand Korean Navy sailors are posted on Yeonpyeong Island. North Korea has described the annual drill as a dress rehearsal for an invasion of the North. South Korean military officials said that most shells hit a military base on the island. The United States Forces Korea reported there were no American soldiers on the island. The U.S. embassy in Seoul refused to comment, and said any statement would probably come out of Washington. The clashes took place 11 days after North Korea showed a visiting American nuclear scientist centrifuges that it said were being used to enrich uranium, which can be used in nuclear weapons. South Korean government officials were called to an emergency meeting with President Lee at an underground bunker beneath the presidential compound. One islander said that most of the citizens on the island were on fishing boats when the attack occurred, as the majority of the islanders are fishermen, saying that this was the first time that shells had fallen on the island. China expressed concern, Reuters reported, quoting a foreign ministry spokesman, telling a news conference that both sides of the Korean Peninsula should "do more to contribute to peace." Al Jazeera news reported the Chinese spokesman as saying: "We have taken note of the relevant report and we express concern over the situation." According to Kyodo News, Japan set up an information coordination office after the attacks. Naval clashes have occurred near the disputed maritime border on the West Coast, with the last conflict happening a year ago which left a North Korean patrol boat badly damaged with one known casualty on the North Korean side. According to Reuters, stocks in Hong Kong posted the biggest single day percentage lost in six months because of the attack. By Christine Kim [christine.kim@joongang.co.kr

I had a really calm afternoon at school. No classes, read Korean comics and knitted all day. Then around 3:00 I heard a bang and the power went off for a second. We all assumed it was routine training from the army camp on the mountain across the street from our school, but then we all started hearing the news. (The new theory is that it was some kind of special emergency training. The actual attack happened on a western island near Incheon, about a 2-hour drive from Seoul.) I haven't really processed it yet, I'm kind of in shock. Is a war going to start? (Am I overreacting?) I'm not scared, just on edge, like I'm anticipating something big.

UPDATE:

One person has died so far, and buildings on a mountain on the western island that was bombed are still on fire. What I'm learning is that I react to these situations in an extremely American way, which is to say I freak out. No one around me is freaking out (which is either making me freak out less or freak out more, since I have no other worried person to compare myself to). Everyone is calm and going about their daily lives and having normal daily conversations. They tell me that it's just politics, and that nothing is going to happen -- which could very well be true, I guess. They have lived here all their lives, and they know more about how this works than I do.

I guess my knee-jerk reaction might be the assumption that an overt attack (or at least one that results in death) is pretty much equal to a declaration of war. Tell me if you think I'm wrong, but I think that's how it works in the U.S. (not that I think it should work that way). But the U.S. always declares war elsewhere - if the Koreas were suddenly at war, all the destruction would be at home for them, and that's a powerful motivator to not declare war.

Don't freak out, guys. I'll be fine. If you find yourself freaking out, call me. I'll be home tonight.