The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired Tuesday scores of artillery onto a South Korean island and also into waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula near a tense maritime border, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Reportedly fired at 2:34 p.m. local time, some shells landed on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island and local residents are currently moving to shelters. Four soldiers have been injured with one of them in a critical condition, according to media reports.

South Korea fired back in response, and the military is now put on a heightened alert, officials said. It also deployed fighter jets to the west sea, according to Seoul's Yonhap News Agency.

"We urge North Korea to immediately stop provocation and we will sternly deal with it in case of further provocation," Yonhap quoted South Korean defense minister Kim Tae-young as telling lawmakers.

The exchanges of fire come when South Korea was engaged in massive annual military exercises involving some 70,000 troops, launched Monday and scheduled to last through Nov. 30.

The incident also comes shortly after Pyongyang's disclosure of a new and sophisticated facility to enrich uranium, which sparked new concerns here over potential nuclear threats.

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新華網首爾11月23日電（記者姬新龍）韓國國防部新聞辦公室23日下午向新華社記者證實，韓國西部延坪島附近當天14時30分許遭到來自朝鮮方面的炮擊，韓國軍隊進行了回擊。

朝鮮方面目前尚未對此做出表態(tài)。

韓國國防部官員沒有詳細透露炮擊的數(shù)量、遭到炮擊后的情況以及韓國軍隊回擊的情況。

據韓國YTN電視臺報道，延坪島附近23日下午遭到朝鮮的數(shù)十發(fā)海岸炮炮擊，數(shù)十座建筑和住宅受損或起火，韓國軍方回擊了數(shù)十發(fā)炮彈。

韓國聯(lián)合通訊社的報道說，數(shù)發(fā)炮彈落到了延坪島上。

延坪島靠近韓朝存在爭議的“北方界線”附近，島上有不少居民。

目前人員傷亡情況尚不清楚。軍方說，與人員傷害相關的情況仍在確認之中。