Jan. 6 (UPI) — North Korea fired artillery shells near two South Korean islands for a second straight day Saturday, but the shells were fewer in number and landed in waters above the Northern Limit Line, officials said.
South Korea’s military said North Korea fired about 60 shells that landed in waters near the same two islands but north of a demarcation line separating the territorial waters of North Korea and South Korea in the Yellow Sea, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The islands are located near the western border between the two Korean nations.
North Korea fired some 200 artillery shells near the South Korean islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong for over two hours Friday morning. Many of the shells landed in the sea below the NLL, prompting South Korea to respond with artillery salvos totaling about 600 shells that landed in its territorial waters.
South Korea ordered locals to occupy emergency shelters on the two islands Friday for protection. No such order was made after Saturday’s shelling, however.
No damage, deaths or injuries occurred due to the shelling on either day, South Korean officials said.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday’s shelling occurred for about an hour starting at 4 p.m. local time.
North Korea previously shelled Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, which killed four people and injured 18 more. The 2010 shelling occurred after boundary disputes arose and the United States and South Korea conducted joint military exercises in the area.
A 2018 military pact between the two Koreas created the NLL to diffuse tensions between the two nations that share the Korean Peninsula. North Korea withdrew from the pact in November after launching its first military satellite to orbit the Earth.
The latest round of live-firing near the border separating the Yellow Sea territorial waters between the two nations represents a threat to peace, the South Korean military said in a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire.