Germany says it has summoned North Korean Ambassador in Berlin Hong Chang-il to strongly denounce the North's Tuesday artillery attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the government called in the North Korean ambassador, conveyed Germany's stance on the artillery attack, and told the North that the international community won't be threatened by its provocations.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, telephoned South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula. A government source says she reportedly condemned the attack in the strongest terms.