S Korea fires back shells at N Korea for rocket firing

South Korea on Thursday fired dozens of shells across the border into North Korea in retaliation for an apparent rocket attack, Seoul's defence ministry said. A ministry spokesman said South Korea had detected the trajectory of a rocket fired from the North Korea side along a western section of the border shortly before <g data-gr-id="13">4:00pm</g> (0700 GMT). 

"Our military in response launched dozens of rounds of 155mm shells towards the site from which the North Korean military launched the rocket artillery," the ministry said in a statement. "We have strengthened our military readiness and are closely watching movements of the North's military," the statement said. It was not immediately clear what, if any, <g data-gr-id="12">South</g> Korean unit had been targeted by the North Korean rocket, and there were no reports of any strike on the South side of the border. 

A local government official in Yeoncheon county – some 60 kilometres north of Seoul – said that residents of several villages had been ordered to evacuate their homes for nearby shelters.