North holds live-fire drills at sea

SEOUL, Apr 29 (AP): North Korea conducted live-fire artillery drills near its disputed western sea boundary Tuesday, South Korean military officials said, in a possible indication of rising frustration in Pyongyang as it pushes unsuccessfully for outside aid.

 Both Koreas conduct such drills routinely, but they can be sensitive because North Korea doesn't acknowledge the U.N.-drawn sea boundary near South Korean islands and the North Korean mainland in the Yellow Sea.

 Last month, South Korea fired artillery shells into the North's waters after North Korean shells from a live-fire drill landed south of the boundary. After South Korean drills in 2010, North Korea shelled a South Korean island, killing four people.

 A Defense Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of office rules, said North Korea tested 50 rounds of artillery shells and stopped firing around 3 p.m.

On the frontline Yeonpyeong Island, motel owner Kim Oh-mok said she went to a shelter with other residents after hearing a broadcast telling her to do so. But she didn't hear the sound of artillery fire. Ongjin county official Hwang Young-mi said later that island residents were later told they could return home.