ArirangNews

동해안 최북단 마을, 긴장 속 상황 주시

In any clash between the two Koreas, the villages on the border are the first to feel the tensions.
Those villages, located in Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do provinces, are close enough to the border that residents can even see North Korean territory.
Lee Kyung-eun tells us what the atmohpere is like there at the moment.
This small town called Myeongpa-ri is just 10 kilometers from the military demarcation line that divides the two Koreas.
Located in Gosung County, Gangwon-do Province, this neighborhood is on high alert due to rising tensions stemming from the North's latest bombing of the joint liaison office.
People are trying to farm their land, run their businesses, and live like normal.
And they are still allowed to cross the Civilian Control Line.
But fears are spreading in the community, following the North's announcement that it would mobilize troops in the demilitarized zone and the special tourism zone around Mount Geumgang.
At another border area, Yeonpyeong-do lsland, things are bit more tense.
Just off the coast of Gyeonggi-do Province, the island was the target of a North Korean artillery attack 10 years ago.
As of Wednesday, soldiers have been dispatched across the island.
Public officials are inspecting evacuation facilities which are currently closed due to COVID-19.
They are also informing residents on emergency guidelines.
It's a similar scene in the city of Paju, one of the places designated by Gyeonggi-do Province as a "critical region".
In Daesung-dong, the only civilian village inside the South's demilitarized zone, residents are living under fear and uncertainty after actually hearing Tuesday's explosion.
And they have another concern their struggling local businesses could be hit harder by the further drop in tourism due to the tensions.
To help these people feel safe, local governments and police services are upping their inspections to prevent the sending of anti-Pyeongyang leaflets, which are believed to be the source of the ongoing tensions.
Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.

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