North Korea fires 200 rounds at sea border; South islanders take shelter

North Korea fired more than 200 artillery rounds into the sea on Friday near a tense maritime border with South Korea, a military official said, while residents of two South Korean islands were ordered to seek shelter due to an unspecified “situation.”

The defence ministry would not confirm if the order was prompted by the North’s artillery firing or South Korean drills in response, Reuters reported.

However, a text message sent to residents and confirmed by an island official cited “naval fire” to be conducted by South Korean troops from 3 p.m.(0600 GMT) Friday.

An official on Yeonpyeong island, which sits just south of the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) sea border, said the evacuation was ordered for residents to move into bomb shelters on the island at the request of the South Korean military.

The firing by North Korea caused no civilian or military damage in the South, South Korea’s military said in a news briefing.

“This is an act of provocation that escalates tension and threatens peace on the Korean peninsula,” Lee Sung-joon, a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

The North Korean artillery shells all landed on the northern side of the sea border, Lee said, adding the South Korean military has been monitoring the North’s moves along its shores with the cooperation of the U.S. military.

He warned the South will take “corresponding measures” in response to the North’s actions.