AUTHORITIES IN SEOUL are attempting to ascertain the motives for North Korea’s attack on a South Korean island near the countries’ disputed maritime border, which left a number of Southern military officers dead and prompted return fire.

President Lee Myung-bak summoned an emergency session of his national security council to an underground bunker at the presidential Blue House, the Los Angeles Times reports, in order to try and direct a response to the Northern aggression, which apparently came without warning.

Local press reported that at least two marines were killed with more seriously injured and ten others hospitalised, while two civilians were also killed when a building struck by a North Korean shell caught fire. Over 200 artillery shells were fired, Reuters adds.

The injured officers were taking part in a routine drill near Yeonpyeong Island – an area operated by the South, with 1300 inhabitants, but over which the North has laid occasional claim – when the attacks occurred at 2:30pm local time (5:30am Irish time).

Lee’s Twitter account issued a statement in which it called the attack an “obvious military provocation”.

Our military provocations against the DPRK’s [North Korea's] strong response was immediate according to the rules of engagement; the North has yet to confirm the injury situation.

North Korea will be resolutely punished for its military provocations. North Korea is accountable for the incident and will be held responsible.

The attack comes just a number of days after North Korea had pressed ahead with the continuation of its nuclear arms programme, and came in the wake of a press statement from the North “denouncing anti-DPRK remarks”.

Remarks made by the South’s reunification minister at the national assembly were “an intolerable mockery of the whole Korean nation, desirous of improved relations between the north and the south, and [a] blatant challenge and provocation against the DPRK” by the official newspaper of the ruling regime, Rodong Sinmun.

Other Asian nations are on high alert; Japan said it had set up an information-gathering team at the Prime Minister’s office, while a professor from a university in Beijing told Reuters that the “unbelievable” attack amounted to ”reckless provocation”.

“If it’s North Korea’s responsibility, Beijing will condemn the act [...] as one that is against peace and stability,” Zhu Feng said.