South Korea's president vowed relentless retaliation against North Korea if provoked again, saying he was not afraid of a war with the communist state.

SOUTH KOREA will stage naval firing drills at 23 venues from today, but will exclude areas near the disputed sea border with North Korea, the military said.

NORTH KOREA backed away from threats to retaliate against South Korea for military exercises yesterday and offered concessions on its nuclear programme.

North Korea backed away from threats to retaliate against South Korea for military exercises today and offered concessions on its nuclear programme.

South Korea has completed live-fire drills from a frontline island bombed last month by North Korea, in defiance of the North’s threats to attack again.

North Korea warned South Korea today not to stage artillery drills on a front-line island the North bombed last month, saying it would hit back even harder than in the previous attack that killed four South Koreans.

South Korean troops pushed ahead with naval firing drills today, a day after North Korea warned such exercises would aggravate already high tensions between the rivals following the North’s deadly shelling last month of a frontline South Korean island.

South Korea today announced a provocative series of front-line military exercises on the island shelled by North Korea last week, then immediately postponed them.

South Korea’s president took responsibility today for failing to protect his citizens from a deadly North Korean artillery attack, vowing tough consequences for any future aggression and expressing outrage over the “ruthlessness of the North Korean regime”.

The sound of new artillery fire from North Korea just hours after the US and South Korea launched a round of war games in Korean waters sent residents and journalists on a front-line island scrambling for cover today.

The US and South Korea prepared for war games tomorrow as South Koreans demanded vengeance over a deadly North Korean artillery bombardment that has raised fears of more clashes between the bitter rivals.

NORTH KOREA staged an artillery drill yesterday within earshot of a South Korean island shelled earlier this week, and warned that an upcoming US-South Korean naval exercise heightens the risk of war.

North Korea warned today that US-South Korean plans for military manoeuvres put the peninsula on the brink of war, and appeared to launch its own artillery drills within sight of the island it showered with a deadly barrage earlier this week.

Sounds of artillery have been heard on the Yellow Sea island attacked earlier this week by North Korea, South Korea said today.

South Korea’s defence minister resigned today amid intense criticism two days after a North Korean artillery attack killed four people on a small island near the Koreas’ disputed frontier.

South Korea’s president pledged today to boost security around islands near the site of a North Korean artillery attack as the North warned of more retaliation for any “reckless military provocations”.

A US aircraft carrier group set off for Korean waters yesterday, a day after North Korea rained artillery shells on a South Korean island, in a move likely to enrage Pyongyang and unsettle its ally, China.

The burnt bodies of two male civilians have been found on an island attacked by North Korea, South Korean officials said.

South Korea’s troops were on high alert today as the government exchanged threats with rival North Korea following the military skirmish that took tensions on the peninsula to new extremes.

GLOBAL leaders have condemned North Korea for provoking an exchange of artillery fire with the South yesterday.

North and South Korea battered each other with artillery fire today in one of the most serious confrontations since their war ended nearly 60 years ago.

North Korea defiantly test-fired another short-range missile today and warned it could take “self-defence” over tough sanctions being considered by the UN Security Council.

North Korea today vowed to take further “self-defence” measures if provoked by the UN Security Council, which is discussing how to punish the regime for its nuclear test.

Chinese fishing boats were pulling out of the Yellow Sea possibly in fear of military clashes between North and South Korea, it was reported today.