SEOUL – North Korea fired artillery towards a disputed sea border with its southern neighbour for the third straight day on Friday in a move seen by the South's president as a ploy by Pyongyang to put pressure on regional powers. President Lee Myung-bak also said the North's troubled economy was reeling under UN sanctions to punish its nuclear test last year, but he added that the destitute state was nowhere near collapse and leader Kim Jong-il was firmly in charge. "There was the sound of about 20 artillery rounds above North Korean waters near (the South's) Yeonpyeong island," an official with the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said by telephone. The North has fed hundreds of rounds of artillery this week in the direction of a disputed naval border with the South that landed in the North's waters. The firing along the heavily armed border lined with thousands of artillery pieces has not resulted in any injuries or damage. Markets were spooked when the North began the live-fire artillery exercise on Wednesday and by Seoul's decision to return fire. Shares in Seoul briefly retreated and the won fell against the dollar, but the moves were quickly reversed.
