North Korean shells have landed in South Korean waters, prompting Seoul to open fire across a disputed border zone. North Korea announced plans early on Monday morning to conduct military exercises along the western maritime boundary.
The North fired several artillery shells in territory north of
the North Limit Line in the Yellow Sea at 12:15pm local time
(03:15 GMT), reports South Korean news agency Yonhap. After
several shells landed south of the border, South Korean military
opened fire with K-9 self-propelled howitzers.
"Some of the shells fired by North Korea dropped in our area and
our side responded with fire," a military spokesman told AFP
news agency, adding that for the moment both sides were firing
into the sea. The South Korean Ministry of Defense said that
North Korea had fired off 500 rounds into southern territory and
the South responded with 300 rounds.
Earlier on Monday, the North Korean People’s Army warned their
southern counterparts that military drills would be conducted in
seven border regions.
"North Korea demanded South Korea control its vessels in
seven regions north of the NLL before it holds the live-fire
drills," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea said
in a statement. "We have banned vessels from entering the
training zone for the safety of residents and sailors."
The North has drawn international condemnation over the last
couple of weeks over its ballistic missile tests. Last week the
UN Security Council warned Pyongyang that there would be
consequences if it continued testing its missile technology. The
Security Council passed a resolution in 2006 that prohibits the
testing of ballistic missile technology by Pyongyang.
Pyongyang regards its missile tests as an act of protest against South Korea’s ongoing joint military drills with the US, which it calls a rehearsal for an invasion.
‘New form’ of nuclear test
Pyongyang stepped up its bellicose rhetoric on Sunday and
threatened to carry out a “new form” of nuclear test.
Giving no further information as to the nature of the new tests,
the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement, decrying
the UN’s condemnation of its ballistic missile tests which it
considers as purely “defensive.”
In response, Pyongyang said it will employ “more diversified
nuclear deterrence,” which would be used for hitting medium-
and long-range targets “with a variety of striking
power.”
“We would not rule out a new form of nuclear test for
bolstering up our nuclear deterrence,” said the Foreign
Ministry in an official statement published on the KNCA news
agency website.
North Korea conducted its third nuclear test in February of last
year, prompting Washington to ratchet up the economic sanctions
on the Asian nation. Pyongyang also carried out nuclear tests in
2006 and 2009 allegedly using a small stockpile of plutonium. The
North also claims to be running a uranium enrichment program,
fueling fears in the region that it will be able to produce fuel
for atomic bombs.