YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea — Artillery(大炮) fire was heard on Monday on a South Korean island near waters disputed(争议) by North Korea, a Reuters reporter said, signaling(标志着) the start of live-fire drills(军演).
The Defense Ministry confirmed the start of the exercises.
The sound of artillery firing was heard from an air raid(空袭) bunker(掩蔽壕) on the Yeonpyeong, the island that came under North Korean attack last month, a Reuters reporter said.
Fog had delayed the drill from taking place on the island which is about 50 miles from mainland South Korea.
Earlier, residents of front-line islands were ordered into bomb shelters(避难所).
U.N. diplomats meeting in New York failed to find any solution to ease(缓解) fears of a new war on the Korean peninsula(半岛), nearly a month after the North shelled South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island in retaliation(报复) for earlier artillery exercises there. The North has said it would respond even more harshly(严厉地) to any new drills from the Yellow Sea island.
South Korea's move to launch new drills from Yeonpyeong brought tensions to their highest point since the North's Nov. 23 bombardment(轰炸), which killed two South Korean marines(水兵) and two civilians(平民) in the North's first attack targeting(瞄准) civilian areas since the 1950-53 Korean War.