UPDATE 2 - South Korea holds live drill after North’s artillery shelling

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – North and South Koreas on Friday fired around 600 artillery shells into their de facto maritime zone in a renewed escalation on Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang fired 200 shells early Friday.

The North Korean shells splashed into waters north of the Northern Limit Line – the de facto maritime border between the divided Koreas.

South Korean residents of Yeonpyeong Island, facing North Korea in waters off its eastern coast, were evacuated to shelters but the country’s military said there was “no damage” to its citizens or the military, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

Pyongyang is yet to make a statement about its latest military activities.

Seoul had said the artillery shells were fired from Jangsan Cape, north of South Korea’s northernmost island of Baengnyeong, and Deungsan Cape, north of the South’s western border island of Yeonpyeong, between 9 a.m. (0300GMT) to 11 a.m. (0500GMT) Friday.

Following Pyongyang’s firing, South Korean Marine Corps deployed on the islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong held live fire exercises, which involved K9 self-propelled howitzers and K1E1 tanks, against simulated targets in waters south of the de facto maritime border.

The maritime buffer zone between two Koreas was set up under now-defunct inter-Korean military accord which was signed on Sept. 19, 2018.

Seoul had partially suspended the pact, aimed at reducing border tensions, before North completely scrapped it last November.

South Korea’s move came after North Korea successfully launched, in its third attempt last year, a military satellite.

North Korea is also rebuilding guard posts in concrete inside the demilitarized zone, which separates the two Koreas.

The two sides had demolished at least 10 guard posts each inside the zone following the 2018 military pact.

Pyongyang’s launch of artillery shells also comes after South Korea assumed a two-year seat at the UN Security Council since this Monday while Seoul and the US held military drills close to border with North Korea since Dec. 29 until Thursday.

Seoul and Washington are “closely tracking and monitoring” North Korea’s latest actions.

It is the first time Seoul fired shells into the maritime buffer zone since the 2018 military pact was signed, while Pyongyang last time fired in the maritime buffer zone in the East Sea on Dec. 6, 2022.