South Korea conducts 94-minute exercises over disputed waters
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Beijing, Dec 20, IRNA -- South Korea on Monday carried 94 minutes of military exercise and shelling into waters claimed by both Koreas.
The South Korean media reported that the drills ended at 3:30 p.m., but other news outlets said that eyewitnesses on Yeonpyeong Island later heard what sounded like artillery fire.
The two Koreas are required to abide by an armistice signed in 1953 at the close of their brutal, three-year war.
North Korea does not recognize the maritime border drawn by the U.N. at the close of the war, and considers the waters around Yeonpyeong Island — just seven miles (11 kilometers) from its shores — its territory.
The waters have been the site of three deadly skirmishes since 1999, as well as last week's artillery attack and the sinking of the Cheonan warship.
Yeonpyeong Island, normally home to about 1,300 civilian residents, has been declared a special security area which could pave the way for a forced evacuation of those left on the island.
Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30134307
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