“The North-Korean artillery on the front of the Yellow Sea increased its alert level”, specified this source speaking under cover about anonymity. “Combat aircrafts which were under hangars were moved”, Yonhap said, without specifying if weapons has been moved near the border with South Korea.

In November, the North-Korean artillery fired on Yeonpyeong island, near the disputed area of the maritime border between the two countries, killing four people. It was about the first bombardment of a civil zone since the war of Korea (1950-53). The incident revived the possibility of a new conflict in the Korean peninsula.

North Korea threatened of a more violent response if South Korea carried out real firing military exercises in the region but Seoul reaffirmed today that this exercises would take place as envisaged Monday or Tuesday. According to Yonhap, the armament North-Korean in the area includes artillery guns systems with a range of 12 km, and 122m rocket launcher with a range of 20 km.