N. Korea sparks artillery exchange with South

North Korea fired more than 80 shells into the sea near its disputed maritime border with South Korea yesterday, officials said, sparking an artillery exchange which fuelled tensions on the peninsula.

The communist state's land batteries lobbed about 30 shells in the morning and more than 50 in the afternoon, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Ignoring a strong protest from the South, the North said it had every right to carry out an annual live fire drill and would continue the exercise. A day earlier it had declared two "no sail" zones in the area.

The morning barrage lasted more than one hour, Seoul officials said, and South Korean Marines stationed on a nearby island responded with about 100 warning cannon shots. There were no casualties.

The South did not respond to the afternoon's salvo, which again landed on the North Korean side of the contested sea border.

North Korea had declared two "no sail" zones near the disputed border and fired more than 80 shells despite warning shots by South Korea.

The US yesterday criticised North Korea as "provocative" and urged restraint after it fired the artillery shells near its disputed maritime border with South Korea.

"The declaration by North Korea of a no sail zone and the live firing of artillery are provocative actions and as such as not helpful," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

The US Defence Department called for restraint in the Korean peninsula, where the United States stations some 28,500 troops in the democratic South. The maritime border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002.

"Although this is a bilateral issue between the North and the South, we clearly are discouraging of any further acts of aggression which would in any way increase the tensions along this historically disputed boundary area," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference.

"We want to see everybody exercise restraint as they deal with this issue."