2 S. Korean civilians found dead on island shelled by N. Korea

SEOUL, Nov. 24 Kyodo -
The bodies of two civilians were found Wednesday on the South Korean island
that was shelled by North Korea on Tuesday, bringing the death toll on the
South Korean side to four.
South Korea's Coast Guard said the two men, both construction workers in their
early 60s, were found around 3 p.m. at a construction site of a marine corps
base on Yeonpyeong Island, where two soldiers were also killed in Tuesday's
artillery attack.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired some 170 rounds of artillery, about 80 of them
landing on the island and the others in nearby waters, according to South
Korea's defense ministry.
The South's military returned fire, shooting some 80 rounds toward coastal
artillery bases in the North.
The incident in the Yellow Sea off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula
was one of the deadliest North Korean attacks on South Korean soil since the
end of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Previous incidents between the two Koreas, including maritime skirmishes and
cross-border gunfire, had involved mostly military casualties, not civilian.
In addition to the four known fatalities on the South Korean side, another 18
people were wounded in Tuesday's barrage, including three civilians, and dozens
of houses were damaged.
Meanwhile, South Korea and the United States announced Wednesday that they will
hold a four-day joint military drill in the Yellow Sea from Sunday, which will
include the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington
based in Japan.
''This exercise is defensive. While planned well before yesterday's unprovoked
artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength'' of South Korea-U.S. alliance
''and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence,'' U.S. Forces
Korea said in a statement.
Earlier, Gen. Walter Sharp, the American commander of the U.S.-led U.N.
Command, condemned the North Korean attack, saying ''These actions are
threatening the peace and stability of the entire region.''
''We call upon North Korea to stop these unprovoked attacks and fully abide by
the terms of the Armistice Agreement,'' he said, adding that the United States
stands with South Korea and is ''firmly committed to the defense of our ally.''
North Korea, through its official media, accused South Korea on Wednesday of
triggering the clashes by making provocations in the first place.
''The revolutionary armed forces...took such decisive military step as reacting
to the reckless military provocation of the puppet group with a prompt and
powerful physical strike,'' the Korea Central News Agency said.
North Korea also condemned the South for indefinitely postponing Red Cross
talks as ''treacherous'' and said ''anti-reunification acts are intolerable as
it vitiated the atmosphere for improving the inter-Korean relations overnight
and drove the situation to the brink of war, challenging the desire of all the
Koreans.''
Also Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Japanese Prime
Minister Naoto Kan agreed that the two countries, along with the United States,
will work closely together following the latest North Korean provocation, a
Japanese official said.
Kan told Lee over the phone that Japan supports South Korea and will ask China,
the North's major ally, to play an active role in preventing Pyongyang from
taking any more provocative actions, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro
Fukuyama told reporters.
In Seoul, Lee's spokeswoman Kim Hee Jung said Kan told the president the
shelling is ''not an accident'' and the North should halt provocative acts
immediately.
The talks took place after Lee discussed the latest clash over the phone with
U.S. President Barack Obama, whom the White House said is ''outraged'' by North
Korea's latest action.
==Kyodo