North Korea fires artillery into sea

Tensions with South rise

About 10 shells landed near Byeongryeong, a South Korean border island, followed by an additional 100 rounds falling near another border island, Yeonpyeong, said a spokesman of the Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.

Between 5:52 pm and 6:14 pm, personnel on navy ships and South Korean marines based on the islands saw columns of sea water spouting up after the shells struck, he said.

The spokesman said that all the shells fell just north of the so-called Northern Limit Line, or NLL, which both South Korea and the United States consider the only legitimate western sea border between the Koreas and have patrolled since the three-year Korean War ended in a ceasefire in 1953.

But the South Korean national news agency Yonhap and SBS, a domestic television network, citing unidentified military sources, reported that some of the rounds crossed the line. The two South Korean islands, heavily populated by South Korean marines and fishermen, lie within the 17-mile range of North Korea’s coastline artillery.

Tit for tat

South Korea has recently said that any North Korean shells falling south of that line will be considered an attack and will be responded to in kind.

“The shells came from North Korea’s shore guns,” the South Korean spokesman said. “Our navy boosted its surveillance and combat readiness. We also broadcast a warning to the North Koreans.” He would not give more details.