North Korea restarts firing artillery shells in Yellow Sea

SEOUL - North Korea Thursday fired artillery shells near the disputed maritime border with South Korea for a second day, media reports said.

The North began firing towards the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea at 8.15 a.m. (2315 GMT Wednesday), the Yonhap news agency said, quoting a defence official.

The shells landed in North Korean waters, similar to Wednesday’s firing. South Korea returned fire Wednesday when North Korea fired as many as 100 shells in the waters north of the de-facto Korean maritime borderline, but stressed those had been warning shots.

There were no reports that South Korea returned fire Thursday.

The General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Wednesday confirmed North Korea’s fire in the Yellow Sea, saying it was part of an annual drill.

The incidents come at a time of a renewed rise in tensions between the two Koreas after the North this month threatened a “holy war” against its southern neighbour.

North Korea Monday declared parts of the disputed area in the Yellow Sea “no-sail” zones, raising speculation that Pyongyang was preparing missile tests.

Analysts believe Pyongyang’s provocative gesture intends to increase pressure on Washington and Seoul to respond positively to a Northern proposal to start talks on a peace treaty.

The Korean peninsula remains technically at war since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War which ended in an armistice.

North Korea does not recognize the Northern Limit Line, which was unilaterally drawn in 1953 by US-led UN forces after the Korean War.