Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

North Korea Artillery Hits Homes on South Korean Island

VOA News 23 November 2010

South Korean officials say North Korea has fired dozens of artillery shells at a populated island near the two nations' border in the Yellow Sea.

They say the South Korean military has returned fire.

South Korean media say the South has scrambled fighter jets and convened an emergency meeting of security ministers.

South Korea's YTN television says several houses have been set on fire and people have been injured on Yeonpyeong Island, which is home to more than 1,200 people. The television broadcast footage showing plumes of smoke rising from the island.

The Yonhap news agency said South Korean troops had been conducting maneuvers on the island and that the fire may have come in response to the drills. Media reports say four South Korean soldiers and two civilians have been injured

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters