North and South Korea exchange fire

From Al Jazeera

North and South Korea have reportedly exchanged artillery fire near a disputed sea border off the west coast of the peninsula.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted presidential officials as saying the two sides fired into the air on Wednesday and there were no casualties.

South Korean security officials scrambled for an emergency meeting over the exchange, which has ratcheted up tensions on the divided peninsula.

The incident came a day after the North declared a naval exclusion zone around the flashpoint border in the Yellow Sea waters, which was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002.

A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North's land-based artillery batteries fired several rounds into waters near the border shortly after 9:00 am (0000 GMT), adding there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

"Our military immediately fired back in response," an unnamed official told the AFP news agency.
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