Tension between North and South Korea rose again on Wednesday after the North test-fired artillery shells into waters near their disputed Yellow Sea border, provoking a South Korean volley of warning shots.

South Korea first issued a verbal warning after three shots landed near its maritime border at around 1 pm local time. It then returned three artillery rounds about an hour later.

Last November, Pyongyang provoked Seoul's ire when it shelled the island of Yeonpyeong, killing four, including two civilians. The South Korean government was heavily criticized for its relatively mild response and for failing to react with force.

Tension on the Korean peninsula had subsequently eased and last month the two countries and the US discussed ways to restart talks on disarming North Korea's nuclear programme in return for ending its economic and political isolation.

No reason for alarm

On Wednesday, a South Korean military official downplayed the tit-for-tat volleying on the disputed sea border and said there had been no unusual activity in the North indicating imminent aggression.

"It is our assessment that the shelling was part of a training exercise by the North," he said. "Three shots were heard. Our assessment is one shell landed near the Northern Limit Line (NLL). Accordingly we fired three shots back."

The NLL, which was unilaterally drawn up by the US military at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, has been the scene of several skirmishes over the past decade.

Author: Marina Joarder (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Anne Thomas