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Korean warships exchange fire

May 22, 2014

North and South Korean warships have exchanged artillery fire near the disputed Yellow Sea border. Neither ship was hit but the shelling prompted an evacuation of South Korean residents to shelters on a nearby island.

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Image: picture alliance/AP Photo

North Korea on Thursday fired shells that fell near a South Korean ship Thursday, the South's defense ministry said.

An unnamed ministry spokesman said the South Korean ship was engaged in a routine patrol near the countries' disputed maritime Yellow Sea boundary and responded by firing several rounds in the water near the North Korean ship.

"The situation is now stable but we are closely watching the movement of North Korean troops," a ministry official said.

On Wednesday, the North's military threatened to retaliate against the South for firing warning shots a day earlier to repel North Korean patrol boats that had violated the sea boundary.

Pyongyang does not recognize the Yellow Sea boundary, which was unilaterally drawn by the US-led UN Command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Both Koreas regularly conduct artillery drills in the disputed waters, the South frequently accuses the North's military ships and fishing boats of entering the area.

Officials also said that residents on nearby Yeonpyeong Island were moved to shelters following the shelling. In November 2010, North Korea fired artillery at the island, killing two South Koreans and two marines, briefly triggering concerns of a full-scale conflict.

Cross-border tensions between the two Koreas have been high for months. Some analysts have said that the North may be preparing to conduct another atomic test.

hc/msh (AFP, AP)