SEOUL - South Korea will conduct live-fire drills at sea on Monday, The latest in a series of military exercises taking place against a backdrop of heightened tension with North Korea, a military official said on Sunday. "The drills running through December 17 are routine," the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. However, the official added that islands near the disputed maritime border off the west coast that were the scene of an exchange of fire last month were not currently included in the exercises. Tensions on the Korean peninsula rose sharply after North Korea shelled the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing four people, on November 23. The South has vowed to hit back hard against its neighbor if Pyongyang repeats the attack. North Korea appears to have made few concessions when Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met the isolated North's leader Kim Jong-il last week, the Yonhap News Agency reported, citing an unnamed Seoul official. Washington is pressing China to rein its ally Pyongyang, and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates will visit China next month.
