Seoul, Jan 29 (Inditop.com) North Korea fired artillery shells inside South Korean territory off the west coast of the Yellow Sea, a military official said Thursday.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) appears to have fired about 20 artillery shells around the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong near the disputed sea border called Northern Limit Line (NLL), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

South Korean military detected sounds of artillery fire between 7:50 a.m. (0420 IST) and 11:50 a.m. (1020 IST), the JCS told Xinhua.

Friday’s shooting follows the DPRK’s artillery firings for the last two days into waters north of the NLL, within the range of no-sail zones, designated by North Korea.

The move is also defiant of South Korean military’s warning Wednesday to stop “provocative” acts and cancel its designation of no-sail areas which South Korea said includes its waters.

Seoul’s military fired warning shots in the air in response to the first round of shooting from the DPRK Wednesday. But, according to media reports, it is considering deploying artillery-locating radars and additional self-propelled howitzers in Baekryeong and Yeonpyeong islands.