North Korea fires 90 artillery shots from western coast, alleges Seoul

North Korea fired around 90 artillery shots into waters off its western coast on Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea's military.

These artillery shots are the latest in a series of drills near the tensely guarded western border.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the artillery firings in the maritime buffer zone north of the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto maritime border in the Yellow Sea, and South Korea's border island of Yeonpyeong from about 4 pm to 5:10 pm (local time).

The buffer zone was set under a 2018 inter-Korean military accord designed to reduce tensions along the border.

There was no damage to the South Korean military or civilians from the latest firing, a JCS official said, adding that the South Korean military does not plan to hold drills in response.

It marked the third consecutive day of North Korean artillery drills in the area, the South's military said, raising tension near the maritime border.

Ongjin County, which has jurisdiction over South Korea's northwestern islands, issued a warning to the border islands as artillery fire was heard from the North Korean side.

"Troops on Yeonpyeong Island are currently responding, but residents are advised to be cautious of outdoor activities," the county said in a text message sent to islanders.

Notably, North Korea has been staging live-fire drills from its south-western coast for the third consecutive day, raising tension near the maritime border.

Earlier on Friday, North Korea fired some 200 artillery shells from its southwestern coastal areas, prompting the South Korean troops on the front-line islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong to stage live-fire drills in response.

North Korea's Friday artillery firing marked the 16th one of its kind, including a missile launch in December 2022. The South Korean military conducted live-fire drills near the maritime buffer zone for the first time since the signing of the 2018 pact, according to Yonhap news agency.

The latest sabre-rattling came after Pyongyang in November vowed to restore military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, which set up buffer zones in land, sea and air, and banned live-fire drills near the border area to prevent accidental clashes.

On Saturday, the North carried out live-fire drills for the second consecutive day to fire around 60 shells from the western coast, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Earlier in the day, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, claimed that Pyongyang conducted a "deceptive operation" by detonating explosives simulating the sound of 130 mm coastal artillery the previous day, deriding the South Korean military's detection capabilities, Yonhap news agency reported.