The WSJ reports,"North and South Korea briefly exchanged artillery fire across their disputed western sea border on Thursday. No damage was reported but the skirmish is the latest reminder of the potential for conflict in an area that has been the site of several deadly exchanges.
Around 6 p.m. local time, North Korea fired two shells into South Korean waters about 14 kilometers southwest of the island of Yeonpyeong, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said.
The shells landed near a South Korean warship, which returned several rounds of fire back, he said.
South Korea briefly evacuated residents of the island into shelters and ordered fishing boats in the area to return to harbor.
The exchange of shelling comes at a time when rhetoric between the two Koreas has been relatively muted, and as South Korea is focused on the fallout from the recent ferry disaster that has left over 300 people dead or missing.
But in an uptick in tension in the western sea border area on Tuesday, South Korea fired warning shots at three North Korean patrol boats that crossed over before returning. North Korean state media called that a "grave provocation" and warned that it could target South Korean warships in the area. The South Korean navy warned of a "merciless counterattack" in response.
The Yellow Sea border between the Koreas, known as the Northern Limit Line, is considered by experts to be the most likely site of another bloody confrontation between the two rival states.
North Korea doesn't recognize the border, which was drawn by United Nations forces after the Korean War of 1950-1953. North Korea's fishing boats routinely stray over the border and in February this year, Seoul said a North Korean warship had made three crossings during one night".
