North Korea ups the ante with artillery drill

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.

Seoul named a former military chief as its new defence minister to try to restore confidence in the armed forces, after their allegedly feeble response to Tuesday’s deadly bombardment of Yeonpyeong island.

China, the North’s sole major ally, warned yesterday against military activity in its exclusive economic zone, echoing remarks it made a day earlier opposing the war games.