Lee Jin-Man/AP 9.02am: Tania Branigan emails from Beijing:
The artillery attacks are a “totally justifiable act of self-defence” in response to the South’s sea drills, an unofficial spokesman for North Korea has said, warning that nuclear war could follow “at any point” unless the exercises stop. Pyongyang has repeatedly issued such threats in the past.
“We repeatedly warned South Korea to stop its dangerous war games. If the South continues its dangerous behaviour, Seoul will be the next target. It will be a sea of fire. Nuclear war could start at any point,” said Kim Myong-chol, executive director of the Centre for Korean-American Peace. He said it was fair to describe him as speaking on behalf of the North’s government.
He added: “We have repeatedly warned the South to avoid endangering our territory on sea or air.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/nov/23/north-korea-fires-south-korea
Live updates at the Guardian blog.
This is the policy of pushing NLL to the South. SK is on their side. NK periodically did their own artillery exercise on their side of NLL only a few miles from SK Islands.