S.Korea holds live fire military exercises near border with North as tensions continue
08:46 23/12/2010
MOSCOW, December 23 (RIA Novosti) - South Korea held military live fire exercises near the border with North Korea on Thursday morning, YTN Korean television reported.
The television station said the exercises began as scheduled at 05:00 GMT.
The state-run North Korean news agency KCNA earlier on Thursday said the North's authorities have criticized the South's plans to hold the largest military exercises in its history, however they are not threatening to respond with their military might as they did last week.
It is unclear how many naval and ground forces are participating in the exercises.
Tensions remain high between Pyongyang and Seoul, which escalated when North Korea shelled the South's Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, killing four people and provoking an exchange of fire between the hostile nations.
South Korean military conducted 90-minute live-firing exercises on Yeonpyeong Island near the disputed border with North Korea earlier on Monday. The drills went ahead despite threats of retaliation from Pyongyang.
South Korea started on Wednesday three-day military exercises in the Sea of Japan some 100 km south of the disputed border with North Korea. At least six naval ships and antisubmarine helicopters took part in the drills, which Japan's Yonhap news agency said were aimed at demonstrating that the South Korean military is ready for "any surprise attacks from North Korea."
The North does not recognize the sea border between the two countries, known as the Northern Limit Line, and claims the waters around Yeonpyeong as its territory.
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