2 New Bodies Uncovered from N Korea Artillery Attack

South Korea's Yeonpueong Island is engulfed in thick smoke as North Korea reportedly fired hundreds of rounds of artillery from its stronghold on the west coast toward the South Korean waters and the Island. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Two new bodies were found Wednesday on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island after North Korea’s firing the island on Tuesday, CNN has reported.

Officials have announced that the men, who were in their 60s, were believed to be construction workers from off the island.

Hundreds of residents from the Yeonpyeong Island have been evacuated to the closest city on South Korea’s mainland. The country’s Yonhap news agency reported that five buildings were directly hit and 22 other were damaged during the North Korea’s attack on Tuesday, which prompted return fire from South Korea.

Besides the two new victims, South Korean officials have announced that two marines have been killed and 15 solders and three civilians have been injured in the attack.

Nations, including Bulgaria, reacted swiftly in condemning the artillery attack.

The UN Command proposed North Korea’s military hold talks between officers at the rank of general over the country launched artillery shells at a South Korean island yesterday, the UN said Wednesday in an official statement, as cited by Bloomberg.

In an interview for ABC News, US President Barack Obama defended South Korea.

“South Korea is our ally. It has been since the Korean War and we strongly affirm our commitment to defend South Korea as part of that alliance,” he said, as cited by CNN.

On Tuesday, Obama expressed support to the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

“The two presidents agreed to hold combined military exercises and enhanced training in the days ahead to continue the close security cooperation between our two countries, and to underscore the strength of our alliance and commitment to peace and security in the region,” the official White House statement said.

South Korea President has stated the country’s reconsideration of providing humanitarian aid to North Korea.

“Reckless attacks on South Korean civilians are not tolerable, especially when South Korea is providing North Korea with humanitarian aid. The Seoul government banned its nationals from entering the communist state, indefinitely postponed scheduled Red Cross talks and began looking at ways to push the United Nations to condemn Pyongyang,” President Lee said, according to Yonhap.

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