Seoul, April 29 (IANS): North Korea halted its live-fire drill just 10 minutes after starting it Tuesday.
A South Korea's defence ministry official earlier told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the North Korea set off its live-fire drill at 2 p.m. local time (0500 GMT) near the disputed inter-Korean border islands.
The Southwestern Command of the Korean People's Army sent a fax to the South Korean Navy's Second Fleet early Tuesday, which notified the live-fire drill near the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the military will fire its artillery shells toward waters north of the sea border if North Korean shells fall on its territorial waters, calling the live-fire drill as provocative.
The North Korea, however, suspended the fire exercises just 10 minutes later, with about 50 rounds of shells fired from coastal battery positions near the NLL.
No shell has landed in South Korean territorial waters, the defence ministry official said over phone.