2010-12-20 10:14

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) will conduct a live-fire drill Monday from a western border island shelled last month by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul said.

Residents of Yeonpyeong island were told to take shelter ahead of the imminent drill, which officials here said the live-fire drill was part of routine exercises suspended after the DPRK's deadly artillery bombardment on November 23 on the island of Yeongpyeong.

The exercise is likely to be held between 11 am and noon, Seoul's Yonhap News Agency said, citing unidentified sources.

The DPRK, claiming its recent shelling was for its self-defense, railed against the planned firing exercise and warned of "self- defensive blows".

Pyongyang never acknowledged a disputed maritime border near Yeonpyeong, unilaterally drawn by the US-led United Nations military forces at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. The two Koreas have had fatal naval skirmishes near the sea border, called the Northern Limit Line.

Representatives from the Armistice Commission and the United Nations Command are expected to watch the drill, according to local reports.