North Korea fired on Wednesday morning dozens of artillery shells into waters near the Northern Limit Line, which is the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korea fired about 30 shells from its coastal artillery batteries toward waters near the Baengnyeong and Daecheong islands between 9:05 a.m. and 10:16 a.m., but the shells did not land in South Korean waters. No damage on the part of South Korea has been reported.

The JCS said South Korean marines fired about ten warning shots from Vulcan cannons deployed on Baengnyeong Island.

This is the first time North Korea has fired coastal artillery toward the inter-Korean maritime border.

The JCS says the Navy warned North Korea to stop the gunfire three times, starting at 9:35 a.m., through an inter-Korean maritime hotline after South Korean military radar detected North Korean artillery shells landing in areas north of the NLL at around 9:05 a.m.

The JCS alerted the military and activated a joint Army, Navy, and Air Force response force after the North's move.

No South Korean fishing vessels were at the scene of the gunfire. However, ferry services to and from five South Korean islands in the Yellow Sea are continuing to operate as normal.

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae convened a meeting of top security officials, including the defense and foreign ministers, to discuss South Korea’s emergency response. The office also reported the situation to President Lee Myung-bak, who is now currently on route to Switzerland after wrapping up a trip to India.

The South Korean military is closely monitoring the situation at the western sea border, but no additional signs of unusual behavior in the North have been detected.

The North declared on Monday two areas in the waters south of the NLL as no-sail, no-fly zones.