November 23, 2010 5:10 a.m. EST
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- North Korea fired artillery toward its tense western sea border with South Korea on Tuesday, killing two South Korean marines, the South's Defense Ministry said.
Fifteen other South Korean soldiers were wounded, five of them seriously, defense officials said. Three civilians were injured in the attack.
At least 200 rounds of artillery hit an inhabited South Korean island in the Yellow Sea after the North started firing about 2:30 p.m. local time, the Yonhap news agency said. The Defense Ministry said it could not confirm that 200 rounds had hit the island.
South Korea's military responded with more than 80 rounds of artillery and deployed fighter jets to counter the fire, defense officials said. Firing between the two sides lasted for about an hour.
The South Korean army also raised its alert condition, Yonhap said.
Images of plumes of smoke were quickly broadcast on Yonhap television from the island of Yeonpyeong, with some homes on fire. It was not immediately clear how much damage the artillery had done. The island has a large military garrison.
The island has a total of about 1,300 residents, a fisherman who lives on the island told Yonhap.
Some residents started fleeing for the South Korean mainland, which is about 145 kilometers [90 miles] away. Other residents were seeking shelter at schools.
The South Korean government immediately called an emergency meeting of its security ministers, meeting in a bunker under the presidential residence in Seoul.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak ordered his ministers to take measures against an escalation of the situation, presidential spokeswoman Kim Hee-jung said, according to Yonhap.
"Take a stern response and carefully manage the situation from further escalating," the president said.
The United States quickly offered support.
"We are in close and continuing contact with our Korean allies," the White House said in a news release. "The United States strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action and to fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement."
"The United States is firmly committed to the defense of our ally, the Republic of Korea, and to the maintenance of regional peace and stability."
The North Korean fire came as the South's military conducted routine drills in waters off the island, which is about 10 kilometers [6 miles] from the North.
South Korea's annual Hoguk military exercises were to last nine days and include as many as 70,000 South Korean military personnel, according to the Stratfor global intelligence company.
The Yellow Sea has been a longstanding flashpoint between the two Koreas, but Tuesday's attack was an escalation in violence.
"Our navy was conducting a maritime exercise near the western sea border today. North Korea has sent a letter of protest over the drill. We're examining a possible link between the protest and the artillery attack," presidential spokeswoman Kim said, according to Yonhap.
The island is part of a small archipelago about 80 kilometers [49 miles] west of the South Korean port of Inchon, which serves Seoul, and is close to the tense Northern Limit Line, the maritime border between the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea.
A South Korean warship, the Cheonan was sunk in the area in March with the loss of 46 lives in a suspected North Korean torpedo attack.
North Korean artillery is extremely difficult to hit, because it is dug into coastal cliffs. Though the North has tested its artillery -- and tested anti-shipping missiles -- it has not fired artillery into South Korean territory in recent years.
One of North Korea's most potent threats is the hundreds of artillery barrels dug in along its demilitarized zone with South Korea and ranged on Seoul.
Yonhap television was covering the attack nonstop in South Korea, forgoing other news Tuesday. Meanwhile, state television in North Korea did not mention the attack.
Journalist Andrew Salmon contributed to this report.
看了这则新闻 我真的是怒气难平息！ 让我有骂粗口的冲动！
他妈的北韩领袖 没事干嘛挑衅南韩 还要伤及无辜 人家活得好好的 干吗要狂丢飞弹 还要伤及平民百姓 你要找人打战 就自己去找南韩的领袖 两个人自己好好的谈判 自己去打
这么文明的世界 竟然还有人用暴力来解决问题 还要伤及无辜 罪不可恕！
国际组织应该开始做点什么了吧 想办法阻止这场战争继续下去 不然可怜的南韩人 又要家破人亡了
以前已经有一次这样了 现在又来 他妈的北韩领袖 怎么可以这么没脑阿 不会想想的吗? 自私到了极点！ 让自己的人民还有别人的人民都无辜受牵连 还要浪费那些飞弹钱 来攻击对方
真是笨到了极点 如果把那些钱来教育北韩得人民 大家一起进步 说不定现在的人也不会活得那么辛苦
南韩已经被北韩害惨一次了 他们很努力很努力的爬回上来 现在又要来一次 真是没完没了 真正该死的是北韩领袖 不是那些无辜的人民 不应该因为一个人的自私 一个人的决定 而伤害了千千万万的无辜人命！ 真的是怒气难息！！！
隔壁的厕所 so call 我的专属厕所......
