동해안 최북단 마을, 긴장 속 상황 주시<br /><br />In any clash between the two Koreas, the villages on the border are the first to feel the tensions.<br />Those villages, located in Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do provinces, are close enough to the border that residents can even see North Korean territory.<br />Lee Kyung-eun tells us what the atmohpere is like there at the moment.<br />This small town called Myeongpa-ri is just 10 kilometers from the military demarcation line that divides the two Koreas.<br />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.<br />People are trying to farm their land, run their businesses, and live like normal.<br />And they are still allowed to cross the Civilian Control Line.<br />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.<br />At another border area, Yeonpyeong-do lsland, things are bit more tense.<br />Just off the coast of Gyeonggi-do Province, the island was the target of a North Korean artillery attack 10 years ago.<br />As of Wednesday, soldiers have been dispatched across the island.<br />Public officials are inspecting evacuation facilities which are currently closed due to COVID-19.<br />They are also informing residents on emergency guidelines.<br />It's a similar scene in the city of Paju, one of the places designated by Gyeonggi-do Province as a "critical region".<br />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.<br />And they have another concern their struggling local businesses could be hit harder by the further drop in tourism due to the tensions.<br />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.<br />Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang News.<br />
