North Korea fires artillery shells near South Korean islands

North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells near two South Korean islands on Friday, Seoul's defence ministry said, warning the actions threatened peace and it would respond.

Residents on the two islands were ordered to evacuate, in one of the most serious military escalations between the two Koreas since the North fired a barrage of shells at one of the islands in 2010.

Friday's live firing followed repeated warnings from Kim Jong Un's regime in Pyongyang that it was prepared for war against South Korea and its US ally.

"The North Korean military conducted over 200 rounds of firing today from around 09:00 to 11:00 (1200 to 0200 GMT) in the areas of Jangsan-got in the northern part of Baengnyeong Island and the northern areas... of Yeonpyeong Island," a defence ministry official said at a briefing.

The ministry released a statement shortly after stating: "This is a provocative act that threatens the peace on the Korean Peninsula."

"We sternly warn that North Korea bears full responsibility for this escalating crisis and strongly urge them to immediately cease these actions," it added.

"Our military closely tracks and monitors the situation in close coordination with the United States, and will take appropriate measures in response to North Korea's provocations."

 Evacuation orders 

Local officials on Yeonpyeong island told AFP that civilians had been told to evacuate, describing the order as a "preventative measure".

South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island is situated in the Yellow Sea. It is located approximately 80 kilometres west of Incheon and 12 kilometres south of the coastline of Hwanghae Province, North Korea.

Authorities on Baengnyeong Island also reported an evacuation...