North Korea artillery fire hits South island
(Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday fired dozens of artillery shells at a South Korean island, setting buildings on fire and prompting a return of fire by the South, Seoul's military and media reports said.
A witness said residents of the island of Yeonpyeong, off the west coast of the peninsula near a disputed maritime border, had been evacuated.
Yonhap news agency said four South Korean soldiers had been wounded in the shelling, the biggest attack in years.
YTN television quoted a witness as saying 60 to 70 houses were on fire after the shelling and TV footage showed plumes of smoke coming from the island. It said a South Korean fighter jet had been deployed to the west coast after the shelling.
"Houses and mountains are on fire and people are evacuating. You can't see very well because of plumes of smoke," a witness on the island told YTN.
"People are frightened to death and shelling continues as we speak," the witness said.
News of the exchange of fire sent the won tumbling in offshore markets with the 1-month won down in NDF trading.
The impact was felt internationally, with U.S. 10-year Treasury futures rising and the Japanese yen falling.
South Korea's military confirmed the exchange of firing, without providing more details.
The attack comes just as a U.S. envoy is traveling to the region after revelations that the North is moving ahead with uranium enrichment, a possible second path to manufacture material for atomic weapons.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AM0YS20101123
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 6:43 AM GMT - South Korean fighter jet deployed to west coast island after shelling
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 6:45 AM GMT - at least 200 shells hit island
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 6:48 AM GMT - S.Korea top presidential aides meeting in underground bunker at presidential compound
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 6:53 AM GMT - South Korea warns stronger response if North continues provocations
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 7:10 AM GMT - S.Korea's military sends message to north to stop artillery fire
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 7:12 AM GMT - Witness says residents fleeing S.Korean island by fishing boats
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 7:53 AM GMT - South Korean military confirms one South Korean marine killed, three in serious condition
Update 14:28 GMT:
ALERT: We have obtained CCTV video footage showing rockets landing in South Korea. We will be publishing shortly.
Video
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZZLH55rvJU&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]
ALERT: US Pentagon - "Too soon" to tell if North Korea's actions warrant additional US troop support in South Korea.