North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo supplied by North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA) on January 13, 2021. Photo: KCNA/via REUTERS/File Photo.

i24 News – North Korean military fired over 60 artillery rounds off the Korean peninsula, said South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in a statement made on Saturday.

The JCS “strongly urged” Pyongyang to stop acts endangering peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The artillery shell is said to have been fired around the northwest of Yeonpyeong island and to have landed north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), de facto border between the countries.

The report follows a similar incident that occurred on Friday when North Korea fired more than 200 artillery rounds in the same area. South Korea responded by firing 400 shells into the maritime border between the states.

As tensions rise, residents of two South Korean islands were ordered to evacuate due to an unknown “situation.”

BREAKING:

South Korea fired 400 artillery shells into the maritime border with North Korea in response to the 200 shells fired by North Korea. pic.twitter.com/BFm1KkMzpF

— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) January 6, 2024

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un earlier in December was reported ordering to accelerate war preparations, according to the state media report.