North Korea allegedly fired several artillery rounds near a maritime border that is in dispute with South Korea, causing South Koreans in a nearby island to panic and almost resort to an evacuation.
A South Korean defense ministry official who wishes to remain anonymous said the shooting was probably targeted in a northwestern direction, as part of the North's artillery drill, Reuters reported.
The firing was heard from an island named Baengnyeong which is only a few kilometers from the Northern Limit Line – near the area were a South Korean navy ship sank in 2010 for which the south blames the north. North Korea denies any responsibility.
North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7, which stirred a dispute between the Koreas, and had U.S. officials condeming North Korea for violating U.N. laws, as previously reported in this HNGN article. South Korea has recently increased efforts to look for debris of the rocket to help in the investigation.
Given the political tension between the neighboring countries, both are responding by making their military powers felt.
