North Korea's undisputed territory is both North and West of Yeonpyeong Island (position 1). If South Korea fired a shell due west from Yeonpyeong Island, it could cross line A, the Northern Limit Line and entered undisputed North Korean territory. North Korea has the same right as other nations to defend their territory from artillery shells fired onto their territory, even if the shells land in the middle of a navigable waterway or a prime fishing area.
North Korea asked South Korea not to conduct this exercise, before they started. Four and a half hours of south Korean shelling later, North Korea began shelling the South Korean occupied disputed area (between line A and B). The artillery exchange escalated to the point where both sides shelled each others positions:
South Korea suffered two military and two civilian casualties. All South Korean deaths and most injuries were limited to people on military property. Likely North Korea also suffered casualties.
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