North Korea has announced it will hold a live-fire drill near the western maritime border Tuesday.
 
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Southwestern Command of the Korean People's Army sent a telephone message to the South Korean Navy's Second Fleet Tuesday morning to notify the fleet about the drill.
 
The North did not specify the exact time of the planned exercise, but said it would hold the fire drill in two border regions in the Yellow Sea, north of the maritime Northern Limit Line.
 
The area of the planned drill is east of South Korea’s Baeknyeong Island and northwest of Yeonpyeong Island.
 
The South Korean military has taken safety measures and controlled access to the area by South Korean residents and ships. Residents of Baeknyeong and Yeonpyeong Islands have also been told to evacuate.
 
Military authorities warned South Korea would respond strongly if the North shoots south of the Northern Limit Line. The military has also strengthened surveillance and implemented a crisis management team in the event the drill takes place.
 
Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said if North Korean artillery shells fall in South Korean waters, the South would take it as a provocative action and respond firmly.