S. Korea begins artillery drill near disputed maritime border

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S. Korea begins artillery drill near disputed maritime border

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Military officials described Thursday's exercise as routine but declined to give details.

26 January,2012 09:45 am

South Korean Marines Thursday staged a live-fire artillery drill on an island shelled by North Korea in 2010, the first such exercise since the death of Pyongyangs leader Kim Jong-Il last month.Marines are staging drills today on two frontline islands -- Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP.A similar drill on Yeonpyeong in November 2010 provoked a North Korean artillery barrage which killed two Marines and two civilians and sparked international alarm.Military officials described Thursdays exercise as routine but declined to give details.The two-hour firing drills, the first near the disputed Yellow Sea border since Kims death on December 17, involve K-9 self-propelled guns, Vulcan cannon and other artillery, Yonhap news agency said.Military tensions rose sharply when Seoul accused Pyongyang of torpedoing a warship near the border with the loss of 46 lives in March 2010. South Korea has staged a series of drills alone or jointly with US troops since then.The North denied torpedoing the ship but launched its shelling attack later that year. The South has since then reinforced the frontline islands with extra troops, more artillery and attack helicopters.Kim has been succeeded by his youngest son Jong-Un. The regime has taken a hostile tone with the South since the takeover and vowed that policy will not change.