North Korea fires on South Korea – live coverage


South Korea says one soldier has been killed after North Korea fired dozens of rounds of artillery onto a populated South Korean island near the countries' western border. Follow live updates here

8.47am: Reports are suggesting the shelling has now ceased, but fires are still burning on Yeonpyeong.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has ordered officials to "sternly respond" to North Korea's action, but also called on officials to make sure that the "situation would not escalate," a presidential official told Associated Press.

Lee is holding a security meeting in a presidential situation room, the official said.

North Korea's actions "are illegal and a violation of the 1953 armistice agreement" that ended the Korean War, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said.

He said South Korea responded to the shelling by firing a K-9 155mm self-propelled howitzer. However the JCS official declined to say whether North Korean territory was hit by the South Korean artillery.

The official said island residents are escaping to about 20 shelters in the island.

8.34am: Simon Tisdall, assistant editor of the Guardian and foreign affairs columnist, writes that North Korea is seeking "acceptance by the great powers":

The sudden flareup in hostilities will be attributed to several factors. But as far as North Korea is concerned, one motive above all guides its behaviour: it desire for international attention.

This has been largely lacking over the past year following the stalling of the six party talks, involving the two Koreas, the US, Japan, Russia and China, on the regime's rogue nuclear and missile programmes.

Pyongyang wants to hold face to face negotiations with the US alone but so far the Obama administration has largely resisted. The main difference is the agenda for any resumed talks, with Washington insistent that the aim must be the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Today's violence follows the sinking earlier this year of a South Korean naval vessel, which was blamed on the North - though it denies involvement. This too was seen by analysts as a bid by the regime to get the world's attention.

The North badly needs more international economic, development and food aid to bolster its chronically mismanaged economy. Its maverick leadership also seems to crave acceptance by the great powers. At present, paranoia reigns, amid constant claims tha the US is seeking regime change. This instability has been exacerbated by an apparent succession process in which the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il, is seeking to gradually transfer power to his youngest son.

But regional analysts suggest that notwithstanding any steps he takes now, a fight for power could erupt when the ailing Kim dies. That struggle may already be underway and could involve members of the powerful military involved in triggering today's fighting.

China, the North's only influential ally, has been urging the US to engage with the regime in order to defuse tensions. It has also held two summits with Kim this year. Chinese diplomats maintain Beijing has limited influence and are privately critical and alarmed, in equal measure, at the North's aggressive behaviour.

8.24am: This footage from YTN television, based in South Korea, appears to show images of of the impact of the shells on Yeonpyeong island:

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8.19am: More from Tania:

Yonhap has also reported that the government is considering pulling South Korean nationals out of the North following the exchange of fire.

We will decide whether we should evacuate them or not after looking into the safety of those at the Mount Kumgang resort and the Kaesong industrial park," the Unification Ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mount Kumgang is a tourist resort, while Kaesong is a joint enterprise zone. But both have experienced their share of trouble in the past – in 2008, a Northern soldier shot dead a Southern tourist after she wandered into a restricted zone at the beauty spot, while the Kaesong complex has struggled amid increasing friction on the peninsula.

The official said officials would also reconsider plans to hold Red Cross talks with North Korea on Thursday in the South Korean border town of Munsan. Until last week, many had hoped that relations were thawing again after a long period of deterioration. The North was angered when President Lee took office in Seoul and adopted a tougher stance towards it than his predecessor, cutting off free-flowing aid.

8.10am: Dr Park Young-Ho, from the Korea Institute for National Unification, has said he believes the shelling is an attempt by North Korea to "turn this region into a conflict zone".

Although I can't be certain of the rationale behind North Korea's attacks yet, I see it as North Korea's intention to turn this region into a conflict zone so that it can bring the concerned parties to the discussion table.
By showing that it has nuclear capacity and by firing artillery shells today, I think it is trying to make a point that it is militarily capable and thus should not be lightly regarded. Ultimately, I think it is strategically seeking to tilt talks concerning the contested Northern Limit Line and the peace treaty towards its advantage.

7.54am: The Guardian's Tania Branigan reports:

Seoul is examining whether the artillery attack is related to its drills near the western sea border, a spokeswoman for the presidential Blue House said today, according to Yonhap.

Kim Hee-jung told reporters that officials were looking into the North's motive, adding: "Our Navy was conducting a maritime exercise near the western sea border today. North Korea has sent a letter of protest over the drill. We're examining a possible link between the protest and the artillery attack."

South Korea's president Lee Myung-bak has told senior officials that the government must "carefully manage the situation to prevent the escalation of the clash," another spokesperson said.

He is due to hold an emergency meeting of ministers at an underground bunker in Seoul shortly, his aide Park Jung-ha added.

7.44am: North Korea started firing on South Korean waters off the island of Yeonpyeong at around 2.34pm local time, some of them landing directly on the island, Yonhap news agency is reporting.

Col Lee Bung-woo, spokesman for South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff told Yonhap the South had fired back some 80 rounds.

The military is on its highest peacetime alert, he said, adding that the South Korean air force has deployed fighter jets to the island.

7.36am: Yonhap News, the South Korean publicly funded news agency, is reporting that one South Korean soldier has been killed in the shelling. Yonhap quotes an unnamed official. We'll hopefully have more information soon.

7.30am: North Korea has fired dozens of rounds of artillery onto a populated South Korean island near their disputed western border, military officials have said.

The shells have set several buildings on fire, reportedly injuring two people, and have prompted South Korea to return fire and scramble fighter jets.

The skirmish came amid tension over North Korea's claim that it has a new uranium enrichment facility and just over a month after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il unveiled his youngest son Kim Jong Un as his heir apparent.

South Korea's YTN television has said two people were injured, several houses were on fire and shells are still falling on Yeonpyeong island. The station is broadcasting pictures of thick columns of black smoke rising from the island.

Yonhap news agency, quoting a military official, says four soldiers have been wounded. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has ordered officials to make sure that the firing wouldn't escalate, according to Yonhap, quoting a presidential official. YTN said between 1,200 and 1,300 people live on the island.

A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff official said dozens of rounds of artillery landed on the island and in the sea. The official says South Korea fired back. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of JCS rules, said South Korea's military is on alert. He had no other details, and could not confirm the reports of casualties.

Tensions between the two Koreas also remain tense after the sinking in March of a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, in which 46 sailors died. Seoul has blamed a North Korean torpedo, while Pyongyang has denied any responsibility.

The countries' western maritime boundary has long been a flash point between the two Koreas. The North does not recognize the border that was unilaterally drawn by the United Nations at the close of the 1950-53 Korean War.

North and South Korea have fought three bloody skirmishes near the maritime border in recent years, most recently in November 2009.