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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired Tuesday scores of artillery onto a South Korean island and also into waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula near a tense maritime border, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
Reportedly fired at 2:34 p.m. local time, some shells landed on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island and local residents are currently moving to shelters. Four soldiers have been injured with one of them in a critical condition, according to media reports.
South Korea fired back in response, and the military is now put on a heightened alert, officials said. It also deployed fighter jets to the west sea, according to Seoul's Yonhap News Agency.
"We urge North Korea to immediately stop provocation and we will sternly deal with it in case of further provocation," Yonhap quoted South Korean defense minister Kim Tae-young as telling lawmakers.
The exchanges of fire come when South Korea was engaged in massive annual military exercises involving some 70,000 troops, launched Monday and scheduled to last through Nov. 30.
The incident also comes shortly after Pyongyang's disclosure of a new and sophisticated facility to enrich uranium, which sparked new concerns here over potential nuclear threats.
XINHUA
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