A SOUTH Korean island has marked the anniversary of its 2010 shelling by North Korea, with its residents still haunted by the assault and alarmed by Pyongyang's threat to strike again.
The November 23 attack on Yeonpyeong island killed two South Korean marines and two civilians in one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-1953 Korean War.
In the intervening two years, most of the islanders who fled with the intention of resettling on the mainland have returned.
But their home has changed dramatically and now bristles with new fortifications, a three-fold increase in troop numbers and the regular wail of sirens signalling another attack warning drill.
"Some say they still can't sleep well at night, can't breath well or their heartbeat gets faster when the sirens go off," local doctor Park Kil-Soon told AFP.
Friday's second anniversary was to be marked by military exercises on and around the island, with defence officials stressing that no live rounds would be used in an apparent effort to avoid provoking North Korea.
There was also the inauguration of a new museum, featuring photos, 3D images and videos detailing the 2010 attack, and incorporating the wreckage of two shelled homes, with charred children's bicycles and other items.
North Korea has ridiculed the memorial activities, and its military on Thursday threatened another attack on the island, saying its only regret was not sending Yeonpyeong "to the bottom of the sea" two years ago.
"It is (our) steadfast will ... not to miss the opportunity to do so if the warmongers perpetrate another provocation," an army spokesman said.
Yeonpyeong lies just 1.5 kilometres from the disputed Yellow Sea border between the two Koreas.
The maritime boundary - scene of bloody clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009 - is not recognised by Pyongyang, which argues it was unilaterally drawn by the US-led United Nations forces after the Korean war.
There are widespread concerns in Seoul that North Korea will seek to provoke a confrontation ahead of the South's presidential election on December 19.
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