North Korean Attack Killed 2 Civilians

Rescuers sifting through the wreckage left by North Korea’s artillery assault on Yeonpyeong Island found the burned bodies of two civilians today—the first civilian deaths reported from the skirmish, the AP reports. Two South Korean marines were also killed, and another 18 people wounded in the attack; 30 homes were destroyed. It’s unclear how many casualties North Korea may have suffered in the counterattack, but Seoul says the number could be significant.

One analyst says the civilian deaths make the attack more significant in the eyes of South Koreans. “It’s clearly a line for people, and crossing that line puts it in a different category,” said one professor. People in North Korea, meanwhile, were gloating. “I think this time our military demonstrated to the whole world that it doesn’t make empty talk,” one Pyongyang resident said on TV. (More North Korea attacks South Korea stories.)