BBC News' Live Ticker: Korean Crisis:

[Dennis Donovan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/9218848.stm

1140: The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says The North's accusation (that the South started firing) will be given very short shrift in the South Korean capital, with the government saying that it is the North who is responsible for a clear armed provocation.

1135: Daniel Butler tweets: "North Korea is like a spoilt child. You can issue empty threats of retaliation all you want but it won't learn."

1133: Secretary Kwon, attache at the Ministry of Defence in Seoul, tells BBC World Service: "Our military is reinforced, and is ready and prepared for any additional provocation from the North. The firing has now stopped. Civilians are in shelters."

1131: BBC defence and security correspondent Nick Childs says a key strategic calculation is that Seoul is within North Korean artillery range. Some 700,000 South Korean military personnel face more than a million in the North, with millions more reserves on both sides. And then there's the presence of some 30,000 US personnel in the South, meant as a deterrent to Pyongyang and a reassurance to Seoul.

1126: North Korea's military says: "The South Korean enemy, despite our repeated warnings, committed reckless military provocations of firing artillery shells into our maritime territory near Yeonpyeong island... will continue to make merciless military attacks with no hesitation if the South Korean enemy dares to invade our sea territory by 0.001mm."

1119: South Korea says it conducted test firing before the exchange at the island - but says it fired west not north, Reuters reports.

1115: EU top diplomat Baroness Catherine Ashton says in a statement: "I strongly condemn this attack by the DPRK (North Korea). I call on the North Korean authorities to refrain from any action that risks further escalation and to fully respect the Korean Armistice Agreement."



1111: South Korea says it was conducting a military drill in the area before North Korea fired, Reuters reports.

1107: Jung Hoon-lee, professor of international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul, tells BBC World Service: "If this is not an act of war, I don't know what is... We fired back in accordance with the rules of engagement. This is the bare minimum, one has to wonder are we really doing enough?"


1104: Dong Wook-kim in Seoul says: "I'm a soldier in the South Korean Army. I live in Seoul, but my military camp is located on the frontline with North Korea. I have to go back to my camp tomorrow so I am quite worried and anxious about this crisis. South Korean people are very angry. South Korea and the world have been giving a lot of chances to North Korea but they are always arrogant and attack South Korea. We must punish them. They are threatening world peace."
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1058: Editor of Jane's Land-Based Air Defence magazine, Jim O'Halloran, tells BBC World Service that both sides are well-equipped militarily. Although the North has a lot of former Soviet equipment, much of this has been modernised and is in pretty good shape.

1048: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says: "It is necessary to immediately end all strikes. There is a colossal danger which must be avoided".

1045: Kim, a Yeonpyeong resident, tells Yonhap news agency: "I was at home when I was surprised by the sounds of bomb explosions. As I stepped out of my home, I saw the entire village had already turned into a sea of fire. I'm now staying in a shelter along with other villagers, but I'm still shaking with fear."


1039: David M tweets: "I live and teach in South Korea and the general opinion amongst us expats is, not again North Korea. Seems to happen every 6 months now." Read David M's tweets
Watch the latest TV footage from the scene

1030: Tomohiko Taniguchi, Japanese ex-foreign affairs spokesman tells BBC World Service: "Diplomacy has got to stop. The six-party dialogue framework is already history - that much is for certain."
He says pressure will mount on China to get tougher on North Korea.



1025: Junie in Seoul tweets: "Let's pray for Korea. It's all over TV now and my first time feeling that Korea is still technically at war. Hope everything turns out alright." Read Junie Juju's tweets


1023:The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says there has been no sense of panic in the capital, although there are some signs of concern on financial markets.

1019: British Foreign Secretary William Hague says: "The UK strongly condemns North Korea's unprovoked attack... We strongly urge North Korea to refrain from such attacks and adhere to the Korean Armistice agreement."


1015: Jackson in South Korea says there is fear here. I live in Suwon. Most of the teachers I work with see it as a sign of war. Some are scared and are waiting for their recruiters to call them and tell them to get out of the country.


1010: Jasper Kim of Seoul National University tells BBC World Service: "It's a classic pattern from North Korea of sabre rattling. trying to lure South Korea and its allies into some sort of larger skirmish, and the reason they want that is ultimately for bargaining power at the negotiating table."

1009: North Korea claims that South Korea fired first in Tuesday's clash, North Korean state media reports.


1006: Keir Thomas tweets: "I am an English ESL teacher in Ulsan, South Korea. My kids came into class today in a gloomy mood. Pretty downbeat." Read Keir Thomas' tweets

1000: Russia's defence ministry tells Interfax that "the ministry is closely following the recent escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula. However, no decision to put units of the Eastern Military District on high alert has been taken".

0955: India deploys 36,000 extra troops along its border with China. Read more here

0950: South Korea's defence ministry says 17 soldiers and three civilians were injured in the shelling, according to Reuters.


0948: @antissa tweets: North Korea seeking respect, recognition and attention from major powers. Will it get it by bombing South Korea though?

0938: The White House says it "strongly condemns" the North Korean attack on South Korea, adding it is firmly committed to the defence of South Korea, regional peace and stability, Reuters reports.


0934: Sohn Young-jun in Seoul says Koreans think this event is different from past incidents, because the attack was aimed at Korean land where civilians live. People are afraid that there will be another war. We simply don't understand why North Korea is attacking us so seriously.

0932: A second South Korean marine dies after the shelling of Yeonpyeong, Yonhap news agency reports.


0925: @lihuizx tweets: What. People are praying for South Korea... Are the other Koreans not humans too? Are their lives worth anything less?


0923: BBC defence and security correspondent Nick Childs says that a flare-up like this inevitably sounds alarms, both literally and metaphorically, because of the potential trip-wire nature of the military stand-off between the Koreas.

0917: South Korea warns North Korea it will "sternly retaliate" for any further provocations, the presidential office says in a statement.

More updates at link

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1. Thank you. nt