N. Korea fires into western sea border

North Korea fired several artillery shells into waters near the inter-Korean sea border Wednesday, while the South responded immediately with warning shots into the air, Seoul officials said and Yonhap News reported.

According to Seoul`s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the shells fired by North Korea landed near South Korea`s Baeknyeong island though still north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) around 9:05 a.m. Wednesday.

Tension in the Yellow Sea has risen since the reclusive North declared the disputed area in the western waters a "no-sail" zone.

The South Korean navy responded to the North`s artillery shells by firing shoreline Vulcan cannons with a range of 3-4 kilometers as "warning shots," though no casualties or injuries were reported as both sides fired toward the air, an official at the presidential office said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The clash comes less than three months after the divided Koreas engaged in their first naval clash on the west coast in seven years after a North Korean ship violated the sea border.