The missiles fell into the Yellow Sea north of the maritime border line, the general staff in South Korea said on Friday. The grenades caused no damage. South Korea ordered the evacuation of Yeonpyeong Island near the border as a precautionary measure.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency previously reported that the military had asked residents of Yeonpyeong to go to shelters as a precautionary measure. The island off the west coast was the target of a North Korean artillery attack in 2010. Four people were killed at that time.
Tensions are currently escalating once more on the Korean peninsula. According to Yonhap, the armed forces of South Korea and the United States also began an artillery exercise near the border with North Korea on Thursday.
The area around the maritime border has been the scene of repeated battles between warships from both countries in the past. The so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL) is not recognized by North Korea. The border line was drawn unilaterally by a UN command following the Korean War (1950-53) to prevent hostilities between the two sides.
