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SEOUL: North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells into the sea near its tense maritime border with South Korea on Friday, a military official said, while residents of two South Korean islands were ordered to seek refuge due to unknown "situations", Reuters reported.
The Defense Department would not confirm whether the order was triggered by North Korea's shelling or South Korea's response drills.
However, a text message was sent to residents and confirmed by officials at 3 pm and said South Korean troops would conduct a "naval firing" from 3 pm (0600 GMT) on Friday.
An official on Yeonpyeong Island, which lies south of the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL) maritime boundary, said residents were ordered to evacuate to air raid shelters on the island at the request of the South Korean military.
South Korea's military said at a press conference that North Korea's launch caused no civilian or military losses to South Korea.
"This is a provocative act that will exacerbate tensions on the Korean peninsula and threaten peace," said Ri Sung-jun, spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
North Korea's artillery shells all landed on the northern side of the maritime border, Lee said, adding that South Korea's military has been monitoring North Korea's movements along its coast with the cooperation of the U.S. military.
He warned South Korea would take "corresponding measures" in response to North Korea's actions.
北韓向韓國海邊境發射砲彈
首爾：一名軍方官員表示，北韓週五向與南韓緊張的海上邊界附近的海域發射了 200 多發砲彈，而韓國兩個島嶼的居民則因不明「情況」而被命令尋求庇護。
國防部不願證實該命令是由北韓的砲擊還是南韓的回應演習引發的。
然而，一條發送給居民並經島上官員證實的短信稱，韓國軍隊將於週五下午 3 點（格林威治標準時間 0600）起進行“海軍射擊”。
延坪島位於有爭議的北方界限線（NLL）海上邊界以南，延坪島的一名官員表示，應韓國軍方的要求，命令居民撤離到島上的防空洞。
南韓軍方在記者會上表示，北韓的發射沒有對南韓造成平民或軍事損失。
韓國參謀長聯席會議發言人李成俊表
示： “這是一種挑釁行為，會加劇朝鮮半島的緊張局勢並威脅和平。”
李說，北韓的砲彈全部落在海上邊界的北側，並補充說，韓國軍方一直在美軍的配合下監視北韓在其海岸的動向。
他警告韓國將針對北韓的行動採取「相應措施」。
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